A Leeds bottle manufacturer was this month fined a total of £13,173 by Leeds Magistrates' Court after a worker sustained serious injuries when he plunged two metres onto a concrete floor. Allied Glass Containers Ltd were prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) over the incident at a factory on South Accommodation Road, Hunslet last January.
Urgent maintenance work at the factory required a mezzanine floor to be opened up so faulty equipment could be removed and replaced. A three-square-metre gap was created for equipment to be transferred using a block and tackle pulley system, which was subsequently left open in case adjustments were required before the maintenance team took a break. One worker was called back to the upper level after a problem was identified, but he lost his footing and plunged through the gap, falling two metres onto a concrete floor below. He sustained multiple injuries, including fractures to his back and skull, and bruising to his brain and kidney. He spent 11 days in hospital and has yet to return to work.
Allied Glass pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, in relation to failing to ensure the safety of workers from the risk of a fall from height. HSE inspectors discovered there was no risk assessment for creating a hole in the floor, and no precautions were taken to prevent a fall. The company has since made improvements so the flooring need not be lifted for maintenance work of this type.
After the hearing, HSE inspector Paul Yeadon commented, "Somebody could easily have died here. This incident was completely preventable with a simple risk assessment and a bit of common sense in planning the job. Allied Glass has lost a valued, experienced employee, who is still recovering from his injuries. He should never have been allowed to fall."
The prosecution of Allied Glass came just three days after the HSE launched its hard-hitting "Shattered Lives" campaign to reduce slips, trips and falls in the workplace. To find out more, visit www.hse.gov.uk/shatteredlives.
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