A metal recycling company from Lincolnshire described as neglecting health and safety “time and time again” has been heavily fined after a 49 year worker ended up with broken ribs when he fell from a conveyor belt.
The accident happened when the man toppled off a conveyor belt while carrying out routine maintenance on a machine at BW Riddle’s site in Bourne last February. He was working on the machine and lost his balance before crashing onto a large pile of scrap metal followed by the hard concrete floor when the power was switched back on resulting in a series of fractured ribs.
Investigations by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) discovered the conveyor belt was not isolated.
It is not the first time an incident of this nature has occurred at the premises as BW Riddle, which is based at South Fen Road in Bourne, was issued with an Improvement Notice in August 2010 when it was discovered that the firm had no formal procedures in place for isolating the conveyor belt. Unrelated incidents also followed in 2010 and 2011 for serious breaches of health and safety concerning failure to prevent access to dangerous machinery. The initial Improvement Notice in August 2010 was complied with, Lincoln Crown Court was told at a hearing which took place on 22nd December 2014, but lessons had not been learnt.
As a result of the accident, where the worker broke ribs on both sides of his body, BW Riddle, which has sites across Lincolnshire, was fined £70,000 as well as an additional £18,000 worth of costs. It had previously pleaded guilty to breaches of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 at an earlier hearing.
Neil Ward, an inspector with the HSE, speaking after the hearing said: “The incident could easily have resulted in a death and only luck saved this worker from more serious injury.
“Had the company put in place the correct, formal procedures for locking off and isolating the conveyor belts, this incident could have been prevented entirely.
“However, it is clear that while BW Riddle had complied with previous enforcement action, the firm neglected safety again and again, and disregarded lessons that should have been learned from previous HSE interventions.”
According to the HSE’s figures, accidents caused by machinery costs the UK economy around a quarter of a million working days every year. The organisation’s latest report on illness and accidents at work, released in October of last year which covers the period of 2012/2013, states there are 80,000 non-fatal injuries reported by employers every year, with the highest rates occurring in manual occupations and among less-experienced workers.
If you have been involved in an accident at work, we can help you. Give us a call on 0800 028 2060 to speak to a member of the team or contact us online here. Alternatively you can request a call at a time convenient for you here.