Land Rover fined for failing to assess risk

Date:

27 April 2011

Release No:

WM420/11

Vehicle manufacturer Land Rover has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive for failing to take into account the risks associated with workers at its Solihull plant using vibrating hand tools.

Land Rover pleaded guilty to the charges brought against it in relation to activities at its plant in Lode Lane, and was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £60,606 costs.

The firm was prosecuted after a HSE investigation in 2007 into the working practices concerning two employees in the weld destruct section where air chisels were used to undo welds on cars to test the strength of them.

Two cases of Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) had been reported in December 2006. The subsequent investigation found that vibrating hand tools were being used across the plant with a lack of assessment and management of risk and when a health surveillance regime was then made effective, other cases came to light.

Solihull magistrates also heard there was no system in place to measure how long was being spent using the tools by each employee or the levels of vibration. The recommended amount of time for one of the tools to be used was one hour per day per person, but it had been in use for three hours per day.

In all, ten employees were thought to be affected by ill health attributable to the use of vibrating hand tools at the Solihull plant.

The lack of assessment of risk or time spent working with the tools appears to be an oversight on the company's behalf. There was no previous record of this happening and an improvement notice was served in 2007 which was complied with. None of the employees appear to have been prevented from continuing in the job.

Land Rover pleaded guilty to breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

HSE inspector Gareth Langston said:

"Land Rover had systematically failed to assess and manage the risk arising from using these tools. Some employees were found to be using vibrating hand tools for periods of time far in excess of the recommended limits.

"The fact that sister plant Jaguar had addressed the issues, does suggest that this particular instance was an oversight on the part of the company. However, lessons need to be learned by employers - to ensure that working practices are suitably assessed for any risk.

"Employers must ensure that the use of vibrating hand tools is properly managed, and it is unacceptable that Land Rover did not do this - as this is a disabling condition involving pain and significant loss of hand function, and is usually irreversible in later stages."

Notes to editors

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice, promoting training, new or revised regulations and codes of practice, and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement. www.hse.gov.uk
2. Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 states: "It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees.

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Issued on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive by COI News & PR West Midlands