IN THE COURTS
DISTRICT COUNCIL FINED £50,000 AFTER LAWNMOWER INCIDENT
A Nottinghamshire district council has been fined £50,000 following a serious incident in which a ride-on mower overturned at a churchyard, causing an male employee to fall more than two metres onto a public road and footpath below.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated the incident at St Peter & St Paul’s Church in North Wheatley, Nottinghamshire, where an employee of Bassetlaw District Council was carrying out routine maintenance in the closed graveyard.
While operating a ride-on mower, the employee lost control of the machine as it slid down a steep bank towards a retaining wall. Both the machine and the operative rolled over the wall, falling approximately 2.3 metres to the pavement and road below. The employee sustained injuries including cracked ribs.
The HSE investigation identified a series of significant failings by the council:
• Bassetlaw District Council had not carried out a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks posed to employees by operating ride-on mowers on banks and slopes.
• The council had not provided adequate information, instruction or training to employees regarding the use of such machinery near slopes and banks.
• No measures were in place at the retaining wall to prevent a fall from height liable to cause personal injury.
A Guidance Document for the Landscape Industry (PDF) published by the British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) sets out clearly the measures employers should take to assess and control risks when working on or near slopes and banks. The Judge found that Bassetlaw District Council had failed to meet these industry standards and was therefore highly culpable, having fallen far short of what was expected.
Bassetlaw District Council, of Queen’s Buildings, Potter Street, Worksop, Nottinghamshire, S80 2AH, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) and Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The council was fined £50,000, ordered to pay £5,138.85 in costs and a victim surcharge of £2,000 at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Monday 30 March 2026.
HSE Inspector Muir Finlay said: “This was a serious incident which could have been much worse.
“The fine imposed on the District Council should underline to all employers that work on banks and slopes should only be undertaken when a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks has been carried out and appropriate controls or training provided.”
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