Nat Pal Limited, a wood supplier operating out of Fakenham, Norfolk, has been fined £40,000 for failing to adequately protect its employees from exposure to wood dust.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visited Nat Pal Limited in April 2023, where inspectors observed significant accumulations of wood dust scattered across the floor. The inspection subsequently identified critical failings in the company's control measures designed to prevent employee exposure to wood dust, leading to immediate enforcement action.
The HSE investigation further revealed a pattern of persistent non-compliance. It was determined that Nat Pal Limited had failed to implement appropriate precautions despite having received previous enforcement actions for the exact same issues, dating as far back as 2015. This history of repeated failures underscored the company's sustained disregard for worker safety regulations concerning wood dust exposure. Nat Pal Limited formally pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
The company was found to have failed in its duty to ensure, so far as was reasonably practicable, the health, safety, and welfare at work of its employees. Specifically, Nat Pal Limited failed to effectively manage the risks inherently associated with operating a woodworking business and, crucially, did not comply with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002. At a hearing at Norwich Magistrates’ Court on 16 May 2025, the company was fined £40,000 and ordered to pay costs of £4,072.
After the hearing, HSE inspector Natalie Prince said “The fine imposed on Nat Pal Limited should underline that HSE take a failure to protect the health of employees extremely seriously.
“To make matters worse, this company had been visited previously and had failed to take steps to protect its workers.
“We will not hesitate to take action against companies which fail to do all they can.”
This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Rebecca Schwartz and paralegal officer Imogen Isaac.