Worker has leg amputated following fall

A Norfolk-based food wholesaler is fined £66,000 after an employee’s leg is amputated after injured while loading a lorry.

The worker was loading an HGV using a pallet truck at Osprey Foods Limited, on 5 July 2023.

The HGV pulled away while the man was still inside the trailer. Therefore, both him and the pallet truck fell between the loading dock and the rear of the vehicle. The injuries he sustains are so severe his leg had to be amputated.

Consequences of Neglecting Safety Measures

An investigation by HSE found that Osprey Foods had not taken appropriate measures to control vehicle movements on their site. The traffic light system telling drivers when safe to move vehicles, broke down several weeks prior. However, it had not been repaired. The traffic light remained green during the loading process. As a result, the driver pulled away thinking it was safe and unaware the man was still in the back of the vehicle.

Osprey Foods Limited, of Holt, Norfolk, pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was fined £66,000 and ordered to pay £5,850 in costs at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on 20 June 2025.

HSE inspector said “Every year, a significant number of incidents, many of them serious and sometimes fatal, occur as a result of failure to manage vehicles moving around safely.”

“In this case, a simple repair to a traffic light system has resulted in a worker suffering life-changing injuries.”

Tip: Relevant guidance can be found here Workplace transport safety HSG136 (PDF) .