Drax to be prosecuted by HSE for putting workers at risk through exposure to dust

The Health and Safety Executive is prosecuting Drax for allegedly risking putting the health of workers at its Selby plant at risk through exposure to dust.
The sunsets at Drax Power Station, near SelbyThe sunsets at Drax Power Station, near Selby
The sunsets at Drax Power Station, near Selby

The UK’s largest renewable power generator is due to appear before Leeds Magistrates in November charged with two offences. It is accused of exposing employees to wood dust, risking their “health, safety and welfare at work”.

It is also charged with breaching risk assessment obligations before allowing employees to work with potentially “hazardous substances”.

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Environmentalists have accused Drax – which earns millions in government subsidies – of exacerbating climate change, harming forests, and emitting air pollution by burning wood pellets for electricity.

Drax said its workers’ health and safety is a “priority”.

The firm operates a large power station near Selby in North Yorkshire and has recently begun work to upgrade one of its turbines and complete a major £40m investment in its station, which is Europe’s largest renewable power generator.

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