Sheet pile fell because excavator hook had no safety catch

A man sustained life-changing injuries after he was struck by a seven-metre metal sheet pile, which detached from the hook of a faulty excavator as it was being lowered at a site in south Yorkshire.

The 58-year-old from Leeds, an employee of York-based Coopers Civil Engineering, was part of a team working on the refurbishment of a collapsed culvert at Rother Valley Country Park on 1 August last year. The firm was using an excavator to remove sheet piling, which had been installed around the culvert to prevent the ground collapsing.

Sheffield Crown Court heard on 18 April that a vital safety catch was missing from the excavator hook. The excavator, which was fitted with a quick-hitch mechanism comprising a hook and chain, was lifting out the sheets and laying them on the ground. As the excavator lowered one sheet, it fell and struck the worker, who was waiting to detach the sheet pile from the hook.€

Approaches to managing the risks associated Musculoskeletal disorders

In this episode of the Safety & Health Podcast, we hear from Matt Birtles, Principal Ergonomics Consultant at HSE’s Science and Research Centre, about the different approaches to managing the risks associated with Musculoskeletal disorders.

Matt, an ergonomics and human factors expert, shares his thoughts on why MSDs are important, the various prevalent rates across the UK, what you can do within your own organisation and the Risk Management process surrounding MSD’s.

Listen now!