Prosecutions
Two Lincolnshire companies have been fined after four workers were injured in a 3.5m fall at a vegetable processing and packaging site.
On 22 September 2008, the workers, who had regularly worked at the site, were asked to remove the insulation panels from one of the cold stores, which had previously been destroyed by a fire, in the hope that they could be reused.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that the workers were removing the ceiling panels using a forklift truck together with a man-riding cage. When trying to remove the final panels, all four workers stepped onto one panel. It gave way and they fell 3.5 metres to the ground.
All four suffered a combination of broken arms, smashed femurs and broken collarbones. One worker is still unable to work as a result of this incident.
The recruitment firm which has supplied the workers pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The processing firm pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the same Act. Spalding Magistrates' Court fined the recruitment firm £5,000 and ordered them to pay costs of £800. The processing firm was fined £15,000 and ordered to pay £1,862 in costs.
Following the hearing, HSE Inspector Jo Anderson said:
"All four workers involved in this incident suffered extremely serious injuries and could have been killed. They were employed to carry out tasks on the factory floor, and had no experience in working at height.
"No risk assessment was carried out and no proper supervision took place whilst the ceiling panels were being removed - a serious failing on the part of both companies.
"Every month more than a thousand people suffer serious injuries as a result of slips, trips and falls in the workplace. These shattering injuries can be easily avoided.
"Employers and organisations that use agency workers have a joint responsibility to ensure the safety of all staff who work on site. Each party needs to be clear about their responsibilities to avoid serious incidents such as this."