SECURITY PANELS FELL DESPITE EARLY WARNING
Firm fined £1/4 million after worker crushed by falling fencing
A security fencing manufacturing company has been prosecuted after a worker sustained significant injuries on site on 23rd February 2017.
Liverpool Magistrates’ Court heard how employee John Evans was manually loading fencing panels into shipping containers when over 30 panels fell on him.
He suffered significant injuries as a result including; a broken left shoulder, fractured vertebrae in his neck, two broken ribs, contusions to his lungs, and soft tissue damage to his face.
Two previous incidents
HSE investigators found that workers were put at risk because suitable control measures were not in place to load the panels safely to prevent them from falling.
There had been two previous incidents of fencing falling on workers, which should have acted as a warning to the company that the loading procedure was dangerous.
The company subsequently loaded the fencing using specially designed stillages, eliminating the need for workers to be inside the container, and therefore significantly reducing the risk of injury.
- Blok N Mesh Limited – of Leytonstone House, Leytonstone, London, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) and Section 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £260,000 and ordered to pay costs of £5,177.30.
Speaking after the incident, HSE inspector Helen Jones said:
“This incident could so easily have been avoided by ensuring workers weren’t put in a dangerous situation, where unsecured fence panels could easily fall and cause serious injury.
This company had two previous accidents in identical situations, which should have served as a warning that the system in place was dangerous should they have heeded this warning, the serious injuries suffered by Mr Evans could have been prevented.”
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