HSE ignored “for eight years”

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted an aerospace engineering company after it had ignored warnings from the safety body for eight years.

Crest Engineering Company Ltd was prosecuted last month after HSE inspectors found safety guards missing or not in use on several “milling” machines used to shape metal.

The HSE first served the firm with an enforcement notice in 1999 for a missing safety guard. When inspectors visited the site again in 2001, they served eight enforcement notices after finding safety guards missing on several machines.