Stonewater Limited employed two men as estate assistants who worked at various sites near Tanyard Farm in Coventry.

Between 2018 and 2023, their roles required them to undertake ground maintenance activities, including grass cutting, hedge trimming, litter picking and weeding. The extensive use of lawn mowers, leaf blowers, strimmers and hedge cutters exposed both men to vibration. One of the men estimated that he used this equipment for 90% of his working day.

Prolonged and regular exposure to vibration can affect a worker’s health resulting in painful and disabling disorders of the nerves, blood supply, joints and muscles of the hands and arms. These disorders are collectively known as Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS). The risk of onset or worsening of HAVS increases with daily exposure and varies widely between individuals.

Christopher Smith says he has been left unable to pick up his grandchildren

One of the affected, Christopher Smith, aged 60 from Coventry, said: “I have lost my fine motor skills and experience significant difficulty in picking up small objects, using a knife and fork, or even doing up buttons. The pain keeps me up at night.

“I am unable to pick up my younger grandchildren to hold them. It is not only not having the ability to do this, but I am terrified I will drop them, and I don’t trust myself.”

An investigation by HSE found that Stonewater Limited had failed to undertake a risk assessment in relation to vibration. The company did not ensure that vibration exposure was regularly and accurately recorded to reduce the risks from vibration to as low as practicable. There was also no information, instruction or training provided to the employees on vibration, nor had the company implemented a suitable system of health surveillance.

Stonewater Limited of Enderby Road, Whetstone, Leicester, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £140,000 and ordered to pay costs of £3,742 at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on 14 April 2025.

Lead HSE inspector Charlie Rowe said: “This is a tragic case and the fine imposed on Stonewater Limited underlines that the courts, and HSE, take a failure to follow health and safety regulations extremely seriously.

“HAVS is a serious and disabling health condition and we will not hesitate to take action against employers that fall below the required standard.”

This prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyers Julian White and Edward Parton, supported by paralegal officer Rebecca Forman.