Engineering firm fined after employee sustains serious injuries
An engineering firm is fined as employee sustains serious injuries suffering a fractured skull, hip, jaw and pelvis. The man 57, was working at a HS2 construction site in Hertfordshire.
Employed as a mechanical engineer, he had been repairing a conveyor at the site, when falling 11 metres.
Stair treads were removed in the conveyor’s stairway ensuring support by a crane during the reparation work. As a result there was a gap in the stairway.
Falling through this gap and landing on the concrete floor below, he sustains a fractured pelvis, skull, hip, jaw and two broken wrists.
He spent two months in hospital following the incident, undergoing surgery requiring him to have six plates inserted into his face.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation results in fine
An investigation finds failure in properly planning working at height, also appropriate supervision, and work carried out in a manner that was as safe as reasonably practicable.
The victim’s personal statement says: “The injuries I sustained have a massive impact on my life and some, permanent. The impact on my family relationships are massive. My wife is now my carer.
Tip: For information on falls and preventable risks see: https://www.hse.gov.uk/food/falls.htm
Life changing results from employee’s injuries
“My own behaviours have changed. I am quicker to anger and frustration and impatient too. Also, my focus has been affected and I struggle to keep up with a task or maintain a conversation.”
The company was fined £52,500 and ordered to pay £6,871.12 in costs on 15 July 2024.
HSE inspector says: “This incident led to an employee suffering multiple injuries, affecting him for the rest of his life. If his employer had properly planned, instructed and supervised the work then this incident could have easily been prevented.”
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