IN THE COURTS


MANUFACTURING FIRM FINED AFTER APPRENTICE SUFFERS SERIOUS INJURIES


A manufacturing company in Newbury has been fined £187,600 after the shirt of an apprentice got caught in machinery.


Harry Pullen, who was 18 years old at the time, was pulled into a radial-arm drill resulting in three broken ribs and needing skin grafts.


He had been working as a machinist for Power and Energy International, manufacturing industrial valves and filters, for less than a year when the incident occurred on 10 July 2023.


The apprentice was still learning how to operate the different machines involved in manufacturing. He was left with a large piece of skin removed from his chest, hospitalised for five days and unable to work for six months.


An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Power and Energy International had failed to take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of their employees. The company’s radial-arm drills did not have adequate guarding. Machine operators, including Harry, had not been properly trained on using the safety features. The company was also found to have made modifications to the radial-arm drill which increased the risk of operators getting caught and pulled into the machine.


HSE guidance states employers must properly assess risks and take effective measures to prevent access to


dangerous parts of machinery. This is normally achieved with fixed or adjustable guards but where this is not practicable other protective devices may be needed that stop the movement of dangerous parts. Employers must also ensure that they provide their employees with the necessary level of information, instruction, training, and supervision to enable them to work safety with the equipment they use.


Power and Energy International Ltd of Stanley Street, Salford, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £187,600 and was ordered to pay £7,464 in costs at a hearing at High Wycombe Magistrates Court on 8 December 2025.


After the hearing HSE inspector, Peter Crees, said: “The fine imposed on Power and Energy International underlines the importance of having effective controls to protect workers who operate radial-arm drills and other potentially dangerous machines.


“Harry’s injuries and the suffering it caused both him, and his family, could have easily been avoided.”


Harry now has to live with permanent scarring and a loss of feeling on the side of his chest. He said: “I would not go back on a radial arm drill… it’s not something I ever want to do again.”


This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE Enforcement Lawyer Iain Jordan and Paralegal Officer Melissa Wardle.


FATHER AND SON SENTENCED FOR CARRYING OUT ILLEGAL GAS WORK


An unregistered gas installer and his father have been sentenced after carrying out illegal gas work at two houses in Cheshire.


An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Scott Lodge, 37, carried out new boiler installations at two addresses in Northwich in April 2022 and December 2022 – doing so while not being registered with Gas Safe Register.


Carrying out gas work without registration is illegal and potentially dangerous, as unqualified work can lead to gas leaks, fires, explosions, and carbon monoxide poisoning.


On one of those occasions, his father Brian, 67, who is a registered gas engineer, signed off the work and commissioned the boiler on his son’s behalf. He did this without attending the property to check the boiler for safety.


When one of the homeowners complained to the Gas Safe Register an inspection was carried out by a qualified engineer. That inspection identified defects resulting in the boiler being classed as at risk and a danger. This included a lack of support for the chimney


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and flue system, which carried the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.


Members of the public are reminded that all gas work must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. The Gas Safe Register is the official list of gas businesses legally permitted to work on gas appliances. Anyone can check whether an engineer is registered by visiting www.gassaferegister.co.uk.


Scott Lodge, of Adlington Drive, Northwich, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 3(3) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. He was given a 12-month community order and complete 200 hours of unpaid work. He was also told to pay £2,500 in costs at Chester Magistrates’ Court on 22 December 2025. He must also pay £1,460 to one of the affected homeowners, which covered the cost of the work.


Brian Lodge, of Merriman Avenue, Knutsford, pleaded guilty to breaching section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. He was given the same sentence as his son and ordered to pay the same in costs at the same hearing.


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