FEATURE NEWS


RECYCLING COMPANY FINED £1.2M AFTER WORKER HIT BY A WAGON


A Yorkshire metals recycling company has been fined £1.2m after a worker was injured after being struck by a wagon at a processing site.


On 10 August 2020 an employee of CF Booth Limited was walking across the site yard in Rotherham when he was struck by a moving 32-tonne skip wagon. The man was not wearing his hi-vis jacket and did not see the wagon approaching. The wagon driver did not see the employee prior to the collision due to concentrating on manoeuvring the vehicle around some low-level skips which had been placed on the corner near where the employee was crossing the yard.


Following the incident, the man sustained a fractured skull and also fractured his collar bone in two places but has since made a full recovery.


A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that at the time of the incident the site was not organised in such a way that pedestrians and vehicles could circulate in a safe manner. A suitable and sufficient workplace transport risk assessment was not in place for the segregation of vehicles and pedestrians.


COMPANY PROSECUTED AS WORKER FALLS THROUGH ROOF AND FRACTURES BACK


A company in Manchester has been fined £20,000 after an employee fell through a roof and suffered serious injuries.


The 24-year-old, employed by Hightech Roofing N/W Limited, was repairing a roof on a building in Blackburn when they fell approximately 4.8 metres through a roof light on 3 August 2022.


The company had failed to take steps to properly assess the risks posed by the movement of vehicles and pedestrians. The incident could have been prevented by adequately assessing the risks and implementing appropriate control measures such as physical barriers and crossing points.


Every workplace must be safe for the people and vehicles using it and traffic routes must be suitable for the people and vehicles using them. HSE has guidance on workplace transport with advice on keeping traffic routes safe and separating people from vehicles.


At Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on April 25 CF Booth Limited of Clarence Metal Works, Armer St, Rotherham, pleaded guilty of breaching Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. They were fined £1.2m and ordered to pay costs of £5,694.85.


After the hearing, HSE inspector Kirstie Durrans said: “If CF Booth Limited had assessed the risks and ensured vehicles and pedestrians could circulate in a safe manner, this incident could have easily been avoided.


“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”


This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyers Karen Park and Kate Harney, and supported by paralegal officer Rebecca Forman.


The company also failed to assess the specific risks arising from the need to work on or over fragile surfaces and failed to consider risks arising from employees working in proximity to the edge of the roof. No edge protection had been installed at the gable end of the building.


https://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/safetytopics/roofwork.htm?utm_source=press-release&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=prosecution-push


HSE guidance states those carrying out roof work must be trained, competent and instructed in use of the precautions required. A ‘method statement’ is the common way to help manage work on roofs and communicate the precautions to those involved. More on this can be found at: Construction – Roof work industry health & safety (hse.gov.uk)


The employee suffered a broken foot and ankle as well as a fractured vertebrae.


A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found Hightech Roofing N/W Limited failed to ensure the work on the roof was properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out in a manner that was as safe as reasonably practicable. While on the roof, operatives used orientated strand boards as crawl boards to move around the roof. The boards were placed where employees needed to step, but did not cover the roof lights, which led to the worker falling.


x.com/TomorrowsHS


Hightech Roofing N/W Limited, of Grimshaw Street, Failsworth, Manchester, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The company was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £5,858.46 in costs at Preston Magistrates’ Court on 9 May 2024.


HSE inspector Sam Eves said: “This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply carrying out correct control measures and safe working practices.


“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”


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