Serious Worker Injuries
Jas Bowman and Sons Ltd, a food ingredients company, has been found guilty of breaching health and safety requirements after two workers were severely injured in two separate accidents over the period of one year. Both of the incidents took place at the company's UK manufacturing base which is located near Hitchin.
The company was investigated and taken to court by the Health and Safety Executive and it was found that it did not do enough to protect its workers with the right health and safety precautions when they were working at height.
Fell More than Two Metres
The first incident occurred in July 2009 when a maintenance engineer who was working to clean flour product from inside a conveyer fell more than two metres. He had been standing on the frame of another nearby machine so that he could reach the upper guarding which was on the conveyor but he had slipped. As a result of the fall, he suffered a broken shoulder blade as well as a fractured spinal vertebra. Almost exactly one year later in July 2010, an electrical sub-contractor was carrying out maintenance work on a second floor lift door.
The panel indicated that the lift was at the second floor level, so he manually pushed the door open and stepped in. However, the lift car was actually on the ground floor and he fell down the lift shaft. He had been acting under the supervision and instruction of two employees of Jas Bowman.
Suffered a Fractured Skull
As a result of this accident, he had a fracture to his skull, had his right ear almost completely severed from his head, suffered from a blood clot in his brain and serious extensive bruising. He had to stay off work for 18 months as a result of these severe injuries. In both of these cases, health and safety procedures were not being followed and the tasks were not being supervised, planned or carried out in a safe manner.
A Breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
The company pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974 as well as the Work At Height Regulations of 2005. Jas Bowman and Sons Ltd will be required to pay £40,000 as well as an additional £20,282 in costs.
Following the right health and safety regulations for working at height is not only the law, it is also crucial for the well-being of all employees.
Related Courses
- NEBOSH HSE Introduction to Incident Investigation
- Accident Investigation
- Accident and Reporting (RIDDOR)