Latest News

24.11.09 | A father and son engineering company has suffered a substantial fine following a fatal explosion in its Devonshire factory.

R J Bateman Limited was fined £85,000 by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following an Exeter trial this week. The company pleaded guilty to breaches of sections 2 and 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 regarding neglect and the failure to keep staff safe.

Novice welder, Anthony Reed, had only been with the company a few weeks before his death. He was welding metal near a flammable waste carrying coolant drum, before the drum ignited and exploded, leaving Mr Reed with severe head injuries that claimed his life eight days later.

“Mr Reed should never have been in the position he found himself in,” said HSE Inspector, Jo Fitzgerald. “This terrible tragedy was the result of years of inadequate health and safety management and could have been avoided if proper systems had been adopted by the company.”

Father and son, Richard and John Bateman, were also found guilty of failing to report an incident from 2004 to the HSE, when self-employed worker, Trevor McWilliams, suffered chest injuries following a fall from a roof extension at their factory site in Chumleigh.