Steel firm sentenced for safety failings after worker injured

Posted: January 24, 2013

Posted in: Foot Injuries Leg Injuries Spine & Back Injuries Workplace Injuries 

A Barnsley firm has admitted safety failings that led to one of its workers being struck on his back by a large steel girder.

The employee narrowly escaped being crushed by the girder and instead was knocked to the floor when it hit him from behind. He suffered severe bruising and soft tissue damage to his foot and lower leg in the incident.

Magistrates heard that the worker had brought two girders into the workshop and placed them on powered rollers at the start of a shotblasting and painting line. He then left them for the weekend.

At the start of his Monday shift, the man set the rollers running and climbed through a curtain screen to put clean cling films on the rollers, forgetting the girders were on the same rollers further down the long machine. He was struck in the lower back as the girder moved toward him and knocked over the rollers onto the floor.

HSE found a series of safety flaws had led to the incident. The company had never assessed the risks involved in using the machine and had not provided guards for the rollers to prevent access during operation.

The company was fined a total of £20,000 and ordered to pay £7,356 in costs.

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