Company fined by HSE after worker is crushed by roller
- 24.07.2019
- EmmaArnold
- Personal-injury, Personal-injury
A former manufacturing company has been sentenced for safety breaches after a worker was seriously injured whilst at work.
Sheffield Magistrates Court heard how in February 2017, a worker at Betafence Ltd was reconfiguring some wire drawing equipment when he slid a roller in a carriage towards the edge of a mezzanine floor. The court heard how the worker had to lie on his stomach on the mezzanine to access bolts which connected to the roller, weighing approximately 500kg, situated above his head and quench unit below.
The worker unbolted the two connected parts with the assistance of a colleague, who was using a forklift truck to hold the weight of the quench unit. As the parts separated, the metal carriage holding the roller tilted forward and landed on the worker’s lower back. He suffered serious injuries during the incident, including a fractured pelvis and fractures to the lumbar region of his spine.
The Health and Safety Executive carried out an investigation into the incident and found that in order to separate parts of the equipment, a section of the mezzanine guard rails was removed, and no measures were put in place to prevent a fall.
After pleading guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974., Betafence Ltd was fined a total of £80,000 and ordered to pay £7,403.38 in costs.
HSE inspector Laura Hunter commented following the hearing: “This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply carrying out correct control measures and safe working practices.
“A suitable and sufficient risk assessment would have identified that uncontrolled movement of the roller or wiping unit could have presented a crushing risk.”
Mark Robinson, Personal Injury Solicitor here at PRD, comments:
This distressing incident would have had an untold impact on the employee and all who knew them. It’s very sad to hear of an accident such as this when it could have easily been avoided.This case does however act as a timely reminder that employers should make sure that they properly assess and apply effective control measures to minimise the risk from dangerous work activities and prevent future accidents.The employee, if they so wish, will be able to seek damages for the personal injuries and losses they have suffered as a consequence of the accident.
