HSE enforcement in the spotlight after payout

An accident which resulted in a £450,000 payout was not judged to be serious enough to investigate by the HSE, according to the TUC’s Risks e-bulletin.

Keith Waring, an electrical engineer, fell 13ft from a ladder and landed on block paving, seriously injuring his ankle. As a result his left leg had to be amputated below the knee. Although the HSE was informed of the accident, it did not investigate it.

The safety campaign magazine Hazards highlighted the case as part of an investigation to show that the safety watchdog was failing to investigate hundreds of the most serious workplace accidents every year because of a lack of resources. And Risks reports that the HSE’s inspection rate for major injuries has dropped off dramatically since Keith Waring was injured.