Timbercraft Windows & Doors Limited, which also manufactures wooden conservatories, was visited by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) on three occasions over a 12-year period.
Those visits, to the company’s workshop on Severalls Industrial Park in Colchester, identified large build-ups of wood dust around machinery as well as other health and safety breaches. These included workers not being provided with suitable respiratory protective equipment (RPE).
A subsequent HSE investigation found that the company failed to adequately control and prevent its employee’s exposure to wood dust in the following ways:
- inadequate local exhaust ventilation (LEV) and a failure to have its LEV thoroughly examined and tested within the preceding 14 months
- failure to have employees face fit tested for their RPE
- common dry sweeping of wood dust
- using compressed air lines for clearing of wood dust from machines
- using incorrect L class vacuums
- failure to have employees who were exposed to wood dust under health surveillance.
Following an inspection in December 2022, three improvement notices were served relating to control of wood dust. A further improvement notice was served relating to arrangements for monitoring, guarding and other protection devices on machinery.
Each visit by HSE inspectors during the past 12 years had resulted in improvement notices being issued, along with other action taken. However, despite this, the company still failed to act, including to provide its workers with suitable RPE.
Timbercraft Windows & Doors Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 9(2), 11(1) and 7(1) of Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. It was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay £2,792 costs at a hearing at Colchester Magistrates Court on 16th January 2025.
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.
“Appropriate controls are well documented, and guidance is provided free of charge on the HSE website.
“Businesses need to protect their employee’s respiratory health. And if they don’t, we will not hesitate to take appropriate action.”
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