Some mid-Essex businesses are subjecting their employees to unacceptable health and safety risks, inspectors have warned.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) spot checks on several industrial estates in Witham on Wednesday resulted in 21 notices being issued demanding that standards be improved.
In one case, the risk was so serious inspectors took immediate action and demanded that work be stopped on a machine with inadequate guards.
Half of the remaining notices issued related to poorly-guarded machinery. Others were concerned with manual handling and lifting and the storage of flammable liquids.
The HSE may prosecute companies issued with notices that fail to make improvements within a specified time.
Health and safety inspector Andrew Saunders said: "We were disappointed to find risks that were not being dealt with, particularly where machinery was involved poorly guarded machinery can lead to very serious injuries."
Published Friday August 23, 2002
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