by Tejas Mehta
11 October 2010
A Rochdale company has been fined after lapses in health and safety procedure led to one of their employees suffering serious injury and being off work for ten months.
The 21 year old, who did not want to be named, sustained several fractures when a two-tonne piece of machinery fell from a forklift truck and landed on his legs, in September 2009.
The HSE found that the bolts used to hold the machinery in place during transit were inadequate for the job. It was revealed that the company, Carter International, had already been cautioned five years ago for not inspecting its lifting equipment regularly or thoroughly enough.
The HSE’s David Norton told 4NI:
“This was a really nasty accident and the worker is lucky to have escaped much more serious injury.
“It is vital that companies where workers routinely lift very heavy objects not only provide the right equipment, but also have proper processes in place and plan each job properly to prevent these types of incidents.“
Carter was fined £10,000 and not face the possibility of a work injury compensation claim from the victim.