Bateman Skips Ltd of Keynsham, Bristol has been prosecuted and fined following an incident where an employee sustained crush injuries to their arm.
On 30 May 2018, an employee was asked to repair a conveyor belt that fed the picking station. Whilst realigning the belt, his arm was drawn into the mechanism and injured. The Fire and Rescue service had to free the employee's arm.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated the incident and found that the company had failed to ensure there was adequate training and suitable safeguards for dealing with blockages and adjusting the equipment.
Bateman Skips Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, at Bristol Magistrates' Court. They were fined £50,000 and ordered to pay costs of £10,205.80.
HSE inspector Berenice Ray, commented on the incident: "Those in control of work have a duty to assess the risks and devise safe methods of working to provide the necessary information, instruction and training to their workforce. Employers must ensure that the power source of machinery such as this is isolated and physically locked off whenever the guards are removed."
