House builder Mullberry Homes fined £117,000 for repeatedly violating health and safety regulations

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House building firm, Mullberry Homes has been fined £117,000 after repeatedly failing to comply with health and safety regulations

A Blackburn-based building firm has been fined £116,666 after having repeatedly failed to comply with health and safety regulations. Mullberry Homes Limited was given a series of official letters from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) but failed to comply with the rules, eventually leading to the penalty.

The HSE had sent out a Notification of Contravention (NoC), an official letter outlining how a firm or company must improve as well as provide advice on how to do so. The firm also received a series of Improvement and Prohibition Notices because of their unsafe work standards, but repeatedly failed to comply.

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The HSE’s investigation found that Alistair Wilcock, the managing director of the Lancashire firm, should have ensured safety regulations were maintained on the firm’s sites in cities like Aintree, Liverpool, Rochdale and Middleton. The firm pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 13 of Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 and was fined £116,666 and ordered to pay legal costs of £8294.40 at Manchester Crown Court.

HSE inspector Matt Greenly said: “Companies have a duty of care to those they employee and HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards. Mullberry Homes and their director, Mr Wilcock had every opportunity to improve standards and maintain these improvements but they sadly failed to do so and continued to put workers and contractors at risk.

“Mullberry Homes Limited, and it’s previous company name of Paddle Limited, has a long history of formal enforcement and prosecutions from HSE and it is hoped that this case will serve as a wake-up call for them to ensure that their management is robust enough to maintain any and all health and safety improvements they make in the future.”

Mullberry Homes received a series of Improvement and Prohibition Notices because of their unsafe work standards, but repeatedly failed to comply.Mullberry Homes received a series of Improvement and Prohibition Notices because of their unsafe work standards, but repeatedly failed to comply.
Mullberry Homes received a series of Improvement and Prohibition Notices because of their unsafe work standards, but repeatedly failed to comply. | AFP via Getty Images

Alistair Wilcock was served with a formal caution for accepting he was guilty of breaching several regulations. The HSE also agreed that the responsibility to follow health and safety regulations were not limited to Wilcock alone.

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