A recent Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecution in Cornwall provides an important reminder that having health and safety procedures in place is not enough. Businesses must be able to demonstrate that appropriate controls are actually being implemented and maintained.

On 21 August 2026, HSE reported that Truro Sawmills Limited and its Managing Director had been prosecuted following failures relating to wood dust and rider-operated lift trucks. Inspectors found that employees had not received appropriate lift-truck training, respiratory protective equipment (RPE) had not been properly face-fit tested, and suitable health surveillance was not in place.

The company had previously been served with Improvement Notices but failed to comply with them. It was subsequently fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £5,000 in costs. The Managing Director was separately fined £5,000, ordered to pay £2,500 in costs and disqualified from acting as a company director for five years.

While this case involved a sawmill, the issues it highlights are relevant to many organisations working with timber, dust-producing processes, machinery and workplace transport.

Wood Dust & Workplace Safety Checklist:

Complete our free checklist to quickly review your COSHH controls, RPE and face-fit arrangements, health surveillance and operator competence.
→ https://go.ssg.uk/wood-dust-workplace-safety-checklist

1. Are wood dust and other hazardous substances properly controlled?

Wood dust isn't simply a housekeeping issue. HSE warns that exposure can cause asthma, respiratory conditions and cancer, making effective control essential.

Businesses carrying out woodworking, cutting, sanding, machining or similar activities should consider whether their COSHH assessments accurately reflect the work being undertaken.

Ask yourself:

Have sources of dust exposure been identified?
Are suitable extraction and engineering controls being used?
Are control measures being maintained and checked?
Are employees given appropriate information and training?
Are assessments reviewed when equipment, processes or materials change?

The priority should always be to eliminate or reduce exposure at source, rather than relying solely on personal protective equipment.

2. If employees wear RPE, do you know that it fits?

Providing an employee with a respirator does not automatically mean they are protected.

Where tight-fitting RPE is used, it needs to provide an effective seal against the wearer's face. In the Cornwall case, HSE specifically identified that employees had not been face-fit tested for the RPE being used to protect them from wood dust.

Businesses should therefore check that:

The RPE selected is suitable for the hazard and task.
Wearers have received appropriate face-fit testing.
Records can demonstrate that testing has taken place.
Employees understand how to fit, use and maintain their RPE correctly.
Changes that could affect the fit of the mask are properly managed.

RPE should also form part of a wider system of control, rather than becoming the default solution to an exposure problem.

3. Do your health surveillance arrangements match the risks?

Some workplace hazards can cause harm gradually. By the time symptoms become obvious, significant exposure may already have occurred.

This is why health surveillance may be required where employees are exposed to particular workplace health risks. In the Truro Sawmills case, HSE found that workers exposed to wood dust were not under suitable health surveillance.

Businesses should consider:

Which employees are exposed to health hazards?
Whether the risk assessment identifies a need for health surveillance.
Whether the correct type of surveillance is being provided.
Whether arrangements are ongoing rather than treated as a one-off exercise.
How results and concerns are acted upon.

Health surveillance should complement effective risk controls - it should never be used as a substitute for preventing or reducing exposure.

4. Can you demonstrate that operators are competent?

The case also highlights the importance of training and competence. HSE found that employees had not been appropriately trained to operate rider-operated lift trucks.

For lift trucks, machinery and other higher-risk work equipment, employers should be confident that those carrying out the work have the necessary training, knowledge and ability.

Consider whether you can demonstrate:

Who is authorised to operate equipment.
What training they have completed.
Whether refresher or additional training is required.
Whether competence is being monitored in practice.
Whether changes to equipment or working methods require further instruction.

Training records alone are useful, but competence also needs to be reflected in the way the job is actually carried out.

Perhaps the most important lesson from this case is that health and safety management cannot stop at policies, risk assessments and training records.

The real question is whether the controls identified on paper are operating effectively in the workplace.

A COSHH assessment may identify the need for RPE - but has the employee been face-fit tested?

A risk assessment may state that only trained operators can use a lift truck - but are training and competence records current?

Health surveillance may be identified as necessary - but has it actually been arranged?

Regularly checking these connections can help businesses identify gaps before they develop into incidents, occupational ill health or enforcement action.

Health and safety responsibility extends beyond the safety team

The outcome of the Cornwall prosecution also demonstrates the potential accountability of individuals in senior positions.

HSE prosecuted both the company and its Managing Director following the failure to comply with Improvement Notices, with the court subsequently granting a five-year director disqualification.

The message for directors and senior managers is not that they need to personally manage every workplace risk. However, they should have confidence that appropriate health and safety arrangements exist, responsibilities are clear and significant issues are acted upon when identified.

How confident are you in your controls?

If your business works with wood, dust-producing processes, hazardous substances, machinery or workplace transport, this case provides a useful opportunity to review your own arrangements.

Start with four questions:

Are your COSHH controls effective?
Does your RPE fit the people wearing it?
Is appropriate health surveillance in place?
Can you demonstrate that operators are trained and competent?

If you're unsure about any of these areas, SSG can help you review your current arrangements, identify potential gaps and put proportionate, practical controls in place.

From COSHH and health and safety consultancy to face-fit testing, training and ongoing retained support, our team can help you move beyond having procedures on paper and make sure your controls are working in practice.

Resources

Use this simple 4-step checklist to make sure you’re compliant and to quickly highlight where action may be needed
→ https://go.ssg.uk/wood-dust-workplace-safety-checklist

Watch our Toolbox Talk on Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) below

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