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The latest news from Lighthouse

23rd June 2017

One third reduced sentences in return for early guilty pleas

The Sentencing Council’s early guilty plea guideline, which came into effect on 1 June 2017, sets out the principles courts should apply to reduce a sentence in the event of a guilty plea. The courts have always encouraged early guilty pleas by awarding a credit ‘discount’ of up to one third where a defendant – […]

11th May 2017

Company fined £750,000 for asbestos failings

Refurbishment contractors, Barroerock Construction Ltd, have recently been fined £750,000 and ordered to pay costs of £14,874.68 after failing miserably in managing asbestos on a site they were working on in Kent, resulting in exposing around 200 workers to the deadly fibres. How did this happen? Barroerock Construction Ltd was converting a former nine storey […]

9th May 2017

Double fine for working at height dangers

Two roofing contractors have recently been fined £66,000 each after the HSE investigated hazardous working at height conditions. MKM Fabrications Ltd was employed as the principal contractor to carry out a roof replacement on a building at Valley Mills, Oldham. The company subcontracted part of the project to Clad-It Limited, which effectively meant employees from two […]

27th April 2017

Construction industry and exposure to dust

Exposure to dust is a hot topic in the construction industry. Repeated and prolonged exposure can lead to various health complications including lung cancer, asthma and various chronic conditions affecting breathing capacity. Symptoms can take years to develop and, due to medical advancements, we are only just starting to be able to associate conditions with an […]

27th April 2017

Manchester businesses prosecuted after health and safety failings

Two family-run companies have been fined over £35,000 this month after admitting health and safety failings. Namely, failing to carry out an asbestos survey at their site in Manchester, where they were carrying out a basement conversion. Manchester Crown Court heard how Hatters Taverns Limited had appointed a sister company, Hatters Hostel Limited, as the main […]

3rd March 2017

Using another company’s safety documents

The scenario You have recently employed a new Operations Manager who has come from one of your major competitors. Since they joined you they’ve been trying to introduce their former employer’s policies and procedures. Should you use an other company’s safety documents? The problem You employed this individual as they demonstrated all the skills and attributes […]

3rd March 2017

Do the CDM Regulations apply to all maintenance work?

When the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM Regulations) came into force nearly two years ago, they caused a lot of confusion for the industry. There were significant changes to roles and responsibilities. In addition, the consensus opinion was that most building works and maintenance activity was covered. Is this right? The legal jargon […]

27th February 2017

Report claims 42% increase in hand-arm vibration non-compliance

The UK’s largest construction safety group – Building Safety Group – has issued a report detailing a 42% rise in the number of hand-arm vibration non-compliance identified during their regime of site inspections. The increase was recorded over 20,000 site inspections conducted by the Group in 2016. The figure compares the first six months of […]