£50,000 FINE FOR KENT CONSTRUCTION COMPANY

CET Group Ltd, of Maidstone, Kent, was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay costs of £30,000, at the City of London Magistrates Court on Tuesday 25 April 2006. It followed an investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) into an incident when an employee was seriously injured during ground works.

Mark Cousins from Bishops Witham, Essex, suffered major injuries when he became entangled in a lorry mounted rotating drill being used to dig a borehole at Ellenborough Table Tennis Club, Enfield on 29 March 2004. CET Group Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

Speaking after the case Sarah Snelling, HM Inspector of Health & Safety, said:

"Accidents such as the one suffered by Mark Cousins are eminently foreseeable when using such large, dangerous pieces of machinery without the proper safeguards being in place. The need for proper risk assessment and the provision of effective guards or other protection devices are well known within this industry. The guidance produced by the BDA (British Drilling Association) with the HSE was specifically designed to deal with such situations and makes it extremely clear how companies involved in such activities should go about complying with the relevant law."

Note to editors:

1. Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 states that "It shall be the duty of every employee to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees";

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PUBLIC ENQUIRIES: Call HSE's InfoLine, Tel: 08701 545500, or write to: HSE InfoLine, Caerphilly Business Park, Caerphilly CF83 3GG.

Issued on behalf of the HSE by Government News Network.

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