A housing association (HA) has been prosecuted after its workers were exposed to Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS).

Charter Housing Association Ltd (now part of Pobl Group Ltd) of High Street, Newport, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulations 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005. It has been fined £100,000 with more than £9,896 in costs.

Cwmbran Magistrates' Court heard how, following a health surveillance programme in June 2015, the Association reported six cases of HAVS. The affected workers were all part of the maintenance team.

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A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found the employees' conditions were likely to have been caused or worsened by the use of vibratory power tools while in Charter Housing's employment.

In addition, it was found staff in the maintenance and refurbishment departments experienced significant exposure to hand arm vibration in their daily work, which put them at risk of developing or exacerbating existing HAVS.

HSE also discovered the company neither adequately planned its working methods, nor trained or informed employees on the risks to their health. Furthermore, Charter Housing did not limit the duration and magnitude of exposure to vibration, and failed to put in place suitable health surveillance to identify problems at an early stage.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Joanne Carter said: "If Charter Housing had correctly implemented its health surveillance earlier, it would have ensured the right systems were in place to monitor workers' health. The six affected employees' conditions may have been prevented from developing or developing to a more severe stage."

(LM)