Cyngor Gwynedd successfully prosecutes negligent employer

Two directors of a caravan park at Talybont near Barmouth have each been ordered to pay more than £160,000 between them after an employee suffered serious hand injuries.

 

The incident occurred at the caravan park operated by Sunnysands Caravan Park Limited, on 12 May 2020.  The employee was using an unguarded table saw at the site when the accident happened. The injured employee was rushed to hospital and has since received specialist surgery in order to regain function in the injured hand. 

 

An investigation by Cyngor Gwynedd’s Public Protection Service found the employee had been operating a table saw to cut timber decking when his left hand came into contact with the unguarded moving blade.

 

Officers from Cyngor Gwynedd gave evidence at the subsequent trial and the court was told that the table saw itself had numerous defects and that work activities at the site had not been adequately risk assessed.

 

District Judge, Gwyn Jones, sitting at Llandudno Magistrates Court  on the 19th of February 2024, heard that the company directors – Christopher Mead and Jeremy Mead – were negligent by allowing the use of unsafe equipment.

 

Mr Hart, legal representative for Cyngor Gwynedd, said: “This accident was obvious and entirely preventable. It could have been controlled by inexpensive measures, such as replacing the defective equipment or applying the guard to the blade.”

 

Both Christopher Mead and Jeremy Mead pleaded guilty to breaching section 2 of The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. They were fined £75,000 each and both were ordered to pay £5,338.85 costs and £190 surcharge.

 

After the hearing, Councillor Dafydd Meurig, Cyngor Gwynedd Cabinet Member for the Environment Department said: “Our thoughts are with the employee who has suffered serious injuries which continue to affect him. It is frightening to think how much worse the incident could have been and the whole event – and its consequences – could have been easily avoided if basic safeguards had been put in place.

 

“This is the second prosecution relating to the use of dangerous table saws that Cyngor Gwynedd has taken over recent years. All employers should make sure that they properly assess and apply effective control measures to minimise the risk from the use of machinery in their workplaces.”

 

“We are grateful to the Courts for their work and we hope this substantial fine will send a clear message to other employers that protecting the very people who work and visit their premises is of the highest importance.”