Council fined £250k after workers suffered following vibration exposure

A district council has been fined £250,000 after a number of its workers were found to be suffering from ill-health relating to vibration exposure.

An investigation was launched by the Health & Safety Executive after one of the employees at Thanet District Council was diagnosed with hard arm vibration (HAV) by his GP.

The worker concerned would typically spend up to six hours a day using a range of powered equipment including mowers and hedge cutters, depending upon the season. He was not under any health surveillance or told how he should report his symptoms, the HSE said.

According to the watchdog, Thanet had not taken steps to eliminate or control the exposure of their workers to HAVs. “They also failed to educate their workers on the risk and train them on how to control their exposure to the vibrations caused by the power tools,” it said.

At the time of the investigation Thanet was issued with an improvement notice. As soon as it started to rectify the problem and implement the appropriate health surveillance a further 15 cases of ill-health relating to vibration exposure were identified and reported to the HSE.

At Canterbury Crown Court Thanet District Council pleaded guilty to breaching Regulations 6(2) and 7(1) of the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005. The local authority was fined a total of £250,000 and ordered to pay £18,325.84 in costs.

HSE Principal Inspector Mike Walters said: “Hand Arm Vibration is a serious disease that impacts on people’s lives and impairs their ability to work. It is entirely preventable but once the damage is done it is permanent. Any business, council or employers can learn from this case. If you have workers who use heavy machinery you need to ensure you properly manage the risks from HAVs, control or eliminate the exposure and train them so they can identify the symptoms.”