A packaging manufacturer has been fined £200,000 after workers were exposed to dangerous hydrogen sulphide gas at its Wigton site in Cumbria, with one employee later dying after collapsing in a pump room.
In a separate case, a construction company based in the Northwest of England has been fined £60,000 after an employee fell through an open stairwell onto a concrete floor below and spent a month in hospital.
The prosecutions, brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), follow investigations into failures to assess risks and put adequate safety controls in place.
Worker Died After Exposure to Hydrogen Sulphide Gas
Futamura Chemical UK Ltd, a producer of cellulose film packaging based in Wigton, Cumbria, was prosecuted after an incident on 24 December 2021 in which employee Alexander Cole, known as Alec, was found collapsed in a pump room at the company’s factory premises. Delivery driver Robert Dyer attempted to assist Mr Cole but was also overcome by the gas.
Both men were rescued from the area and Mr Dyer quickly regained consciousness. Mr Cole died in hospital the following day, which was Christmas Day. A subsequent inquest concluded that, on the balance of probabilities, hydrogen sulphide had contributed to Mr Cole’s death.
An investigation by the HSE found Futamura Chemical (UK) Ltd failed to adequately risk assess its production process, as it did not identify that hydrogen sulphide gas, a by-product of the process, was able to enter the site’s water effluent system.
The court heard that Futamura Chemical UK Ltd had conducted a risk assessment for the presence of hydrogen sulphide in the production area and implemented control measures. But there was inadequate assessment and associated risk controls relating to the potential for hydrogen sulphide build-up in the site’s drainage system, creating a risk that the gas could be released from drains and expose workers.
After the hearing Inspector Matthew Shepherd said: “This tragic case shows the importance of conducting a thorough and robust risk assessment to ensure that all risks are properly identified and managed. Where companies use, or produce within their processes, substances harmful to health, it is vital that they have fully considered and controlled all pathways to exposure. Failure to do so can have terrible consequences.”
Futamura Chemical UK Ltd, of Station Road, Wigton, Cumbria, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) and Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £200,000 and ordered to pay £20,000 in costs at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on 6 January 2026.
Construction Worker Injured in Fall Through Stairwell Opening
Ace Infra Ltd, a construction company based in the Northwest of England, was fined £60,000 after an incident in which a wall collapsed, knocking an employee through an open stairwell onto a concrete floor below.
The court heard that employee Mark Jones, a general labourer, had been sweeping up dust and debris on the first floor of the building at the end of the working day. Earlier that day, boards had been delivered and laid across a large opening in the floor where a staircase was to be installed.
Ace Infra Ltd pleaded guilty after Mr Jones spent a month in hospital recovering from his injuries.
The HSE said there was no edge protection, no warning signage, no safety instructions given to workers and no supervisor present at the time of the incident. The regulator said guidance on working at height was available.
Both cases were prosecuted by the HSE, which has repeatedly warned employers about the need to identify hazards, assess risk properly and put suitable control measures in place to prevent serious harm.