Muldoon Bros LLP have been fined £10,000 plus costs of £1,400 at Omagh Crown Court, after pleading guilty to three breaches of health and safety legislation.
The case arose from an incident on a construction site at Cookstown on 26 July 2010, when a dumper which was being used to transfer soil and clay across the site tipped over an embankment. The investigation found that during one of the transfers, a large boulder was being moved. The operator approached the tipping area and began to tip the boulder over the embankment, however the dumper went over the edge and overturned in the process.
The 18 year old workman, who had only been with the company for seven days, was trapped under the steering wheel and suffered several fractures to his pelvis.
The investigation also revealed that the injured party had not received adequate training to operate the dumper and that the company had failed to provide a proper method to make sure materials could be tipped safely. Lawrence Knox from the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) Construction Team said, "All companies must control hazards within the workplace. It is essential that proper measures are in place to allow the workers to transport materials safely. All operators of mobile plant and equipment must be given appropriate instruction and training. Failure to take proper measures could result in workers being injured or even killed."
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