The owner of a furniture shop in Lincolnshire has been fined after his employees were exposed to a hazardous substance. Chris Buckley, trading as The Furniture Chest in Heckington, was prosecuted by The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after the firm’s site was inspected on April 7, 2022.
The HSE investigation found a significant build-up of wood dust and that local exhaust ventilation systems, provided to capture wood dust and protect employees, had not been thoroughly examined and tested. Wood dust is a hazardous substance and exposure can lead to workers suffering from respiratory diseases such as asthma and sino-nasal cancer.
It was also found that Buckley had failed to prevent or adequately control employees’ exposure to wood dust and had failed to ensure that the local exhaust ventilation systems had been thoroughly examined and tested. Previous inspections had led to improvement notices being served in relation to the control of wood dust.
Buckley of Heckington, Sleaford, Lincolnshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulations 7(1) and 9(2) of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. He was fined £1,354 and ordered to pay costs of £3,578 at Boston Magistrates’ Court on October 9, 2023.
HSE inspector Muir Finlay said: “Chris Buckley could have ensured that his local exhaust ventilation systems were thoroughly examined and tested to ensure that they were working to protect the health of employees. A suitable and sufficient cleaning regime could have been implemented to further reduce the build-up of dust.
“HSE recognises wood dust can cause serious health problems and launched its Dust Kills campaign to help businesses to take action now to protect their workers’ respiratory health.”
HSE has guidance on working in the woodworking industry and is running the Dust Kills: Wood Dust campaign page, which provides free advice to businesses and workers on the control measures required to prevent exposure to dust.
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