Health and Safety Executive inspectors uncovered multiple serious procedural failures at Bassetlaw District Council following a workplace accident that saw a grounds maintenance employee suffer cracked ribs after tumbling from a churchyard boundary wall whilst operating lawn-cutting equipment.
HSE Inspector Muir Finlay condemned the Labour-controlled authority’s shortcomings, stating: “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.”
Nottingham Magistrates’ Court heard on Monday how the 30 May 2024 incident at St Peter and St Paul’s Church in North Wheatley resulted from the council’s failure to conduct adequate risk assessments for staff using ride-on mowers on sloped terrain, alongside absence of proper instruction regarding equipment operation near banks and inclines.
The employee was cutting grass at the disused graveyard when their ride-on mower became uncontrollable descending an extremely steep embankment, with both machinery and operator sliding approximately 2.3 metres over a retaining wall before landing on the public footpath and carriageway at the Church Hill and Church Street junction.
Investigators determined no protective measures existed at the retaining wall to prevent falls resulting in injury—a failure the presiding judge concluded fell significantly below industry standards outlined by the British Association of Landscape Industries guidance for working on slopes.
The council entered early guilty pleas to breaching Section 2(1) and Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, accepting it had endangered both its employee and members of the public using the pavement and road where the worker and equipment crashed.
Bassetlaw District Council received a £50,000 fine alongside £5,138.85 costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge, with the HSE warning it “will not hesitate to take action against those that do not do all that they should to keep people safe and healthy at work.”
The injured worker has returned to their council role, with the authority confirming it continues providing ongoing support following the traumatic incident.
Chief Executive David Armiger stated the council cooperated fully with investigators and adopted all recommended changes, committing £350,000 to health and safety training over coming years whilst restructuring its safety team including establishing new positions.
