A Burnley firm, Equestrian Surfaces Ltd, has been fined £16,000 after failing to comply with an improvement notice (breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974) and putting its employees’ hearing at risk by having them work next to a noisy machine.
The company, which makes flooring for horse riding centres, was instructed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to reduce the daily noise exposure levels at its Phoenix Way factory.
An improvement notice had been issued after an inspection revealed that staff had to work for several hours a day near a granulator machine capable of reaching volumes of up to 98 decibels. However, despite being given two extensions to that notice, the firm failed to put any measures in place to reduce workers’ exposure to noise.
A further inspection found that whilst some changes had been made, the employees’ daily noise exposure remained high and the changes fell short of what could and should have been achieved.
HSE Inspector Matthew Lea said, “This prosecution highlights the responsibilities that employers have with regard to looking after their employees. Noise-induced hearing loss is a degenerative condition and the ear cannot repair itself.”
He added, “The Control of Noise at Work Regulations SI 2005/1643 require employers to put measures in place to ensure that their employees can work safely, without putting their hearing at risk. Equestrian Surfaces could have taken a number of simple practical steps to reduce noise exposure, but chose instead to rely on just using ear protectors, which in effect is the last line of defence.”
The manufacturer was also ordered to pay £11,000 towards the cost of the prosecution.
