An investigation conducted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety, has determined that Timbercraft Windows & Doors Limited repeatedly failed to protect its workers from exposure to wood dust. The company, which manufactures windows, doors, and wooden conservatories, was inspected by the HSE three times over a 12-year period. During those visits, the HSE discovered numerous health and safety breaches, including build-ups of wood dust around machinery and failing to provide workers with suitable respiratory protective equipment (RPE). The HSE found that Timbercraft:
- Was inadequately using local exhaust ventilation (LEV)
- Had failed to have LEV thoroughly examined and tested
- Had failed to have employees face fit tested for their RPE
- Was using compressed air lines for clearing wood dust from machines
- Was using incorrect L class vacuums
After Timbercraft’s facility in Colchester was inspected in December 2022, the company received three improvement notices related to the control of wood dust and the need for guarding on machinery. Despite these and other notices issued over the past 12 years, the company did not take any action.
Timbercraft Windows & Doors Limited, of Crowborough East Sussex, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 9(2), 11(1) and 7(1) of Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. The company was fined £4,000 and was ordered to pay £2,792 costs at a hearing at Colchester Magistrates Court on the 16 of January 2025.
What people are saying
In a recent quote, HSE inspector Tom McQuade said, “Just seeing the piles of wood dust lying around gave us an indication of how much workers would have been exposed. The risks from exposure to wood dust are well known and exposure can cause irreparable harm. The fine imposed should highlight to employers in the woodworking industry that the courts and HSE, take failure to control exposure to harmful substances, such as wood dust, extremely seriously.”
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