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Recycling worker loses leg in shovel loader incident

WSR Recycling Ltd has been fined £10k after an incident in which a workman was struck by an articulated shovel loader. The incident resulted in his left leg being amputated below the knee.

The 46-year-old man worked in a ‘tipping bay’ at the company premises in Widnes on 14 September 2009.

The company admitted it failed to ensure pedestrians and vehicles could move around the bay safely.

Foreseeable that pedestrians and trucks in same area

Chris Goddard, the investigating inspector for HSE, said:

“This worker has suffered a life-long injury as a result of a tragic incident and was very fortunate not to have been killed. He was run over by a very heavy vehicle, so his injuries could easily have been much worse.

“It was foreseeable that pedestrians would be working in the same area as trucks, and so measures should have been taken to manage the risks. The site should have been properly supervised so that workers were kept away from moving vehicles.

“Waste companies cannot afford to relax about safety, and risk developing bad habits as a result.”

This article was posted on 21st June 2010 in PROSECUTIONS, loader.
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