Birmingham Magistrates’ Court was told how, on 22 December 2016, the 24-year old Mercian Recycling Limited employee who was undertaking routine maintenance work inside a conveyor, fell approximately four metres to the floor when the machine was switched back on with him inside.
The HSE found that the company had insufficient controls in place for the management of these risks at their premises.
Mercian Recycling Limited of Ebury Road, Kings Norton, Birmingham pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 2 (1) and 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and was fined £80,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,498.34.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Paul Cooper said: “This is a case where the company failed to have in place any controls whatsoever for ensuring routine maintenance operations were carried out without risks to safety. It reinforces to companies in the waste industry the need to identify risks to their employees and others and to put the necessary control measures in place.
“The waste industry is a known high-risk industry and for this reason HSE is currently targeting the sector with an inspection initiative to ensure effective management and control of risk”.
The Safety Conversation with SHP (previously the Safety and Health Podcast) aims to bring you the latest news, insights and legislation updates in the form of interviews, discussions and panel debates from leading figures within the profession.
Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts, subscribe and join the conversation today!
