Wolverhampton firm, Sterry Lane Limited, trading as LPD Demolition, has been fined after a 39-year old-employee was crushed by a reversing excavator.Newcastle under Lyme Magistrates’ Court heard that on 3 May 2016, employees of Sterry Lane Limited had been contracted to complete demolition work on a site in Stafford.
The employees were moving debris around the excavator when it began to reverse, crushing a man and leaving him with serious injuries to his leg and torso.
The worker suffered multiple fractures to his legs and pelvis, as well as punctured lungs and liver injuries. He requires assistance to move around his home and he has not returned to work more than 16 months after the incident.
Inadequate
The Health and Safety Executive found the company had failed to implement a suitable management system to segregate pedestrians and vehicles on site. It was also discovered that the company had failed to adequately plan the demolition work on site and failed to highlight the risks of workers and machinery operating in the same areas without clear communication between the driver and workers on the ground.
Sterry Lane Limited of Hickman Avenue, Eastfield, Wolverhampton pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 15 (2) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015.
The company has been fined £50,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1,726.88.
HSE inspector Katherine Blunt commented: “This incident could have easily been prevented had the company implemented the required safety measures to minimise the risk of harm to workers on site.
“Sterry Lane’s failings have led to this employee suffering life changing injuries, an individual’s health should not be made worse by the work they do; all workers have the right to go home healthy.”
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