Manchester City Council has been fined £15,000 after a worker suffered serious injuries, including fractures to his face and a broken pelvis, whilst litter picking on a city road.
It was heard in court that the council had not identified being struck by a car as a risk associated with litter picking work. However, since the incident further controls including training, providing more signs and implementing a new monitoring and review process have been put in place.
The 60-year-old worker from Stretford, who has asked not to be named, had been trying to cross Princess Parkway, a busy road with a 40mph speed limit, when he was struck by a car on 9 July 2013.
Manchester Crown Court, Minshull Street, heard on 24 September that the worker sustained serious injuries including four broken ribs, a punctured lung, a cut to the liver, a fractured right eye socket, fractures to his face and a broken pelvis. He has not been able to return to work since.
HSE found that Manchester City Council did not have a safe system of work in place and staff had not been given any information about controlling or informing traffic about them working on or near the road.
Following the incident, HSE served an Improvement Notice on the council requiring it to look again at its risk assessment and control procedures.
Manchester City Council, of Albert Square, Manchester, was fined £15,000 and ordered to pay £3,830 in prosecution costs after pleading guilty to a breach of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Emily Osborne said: “A council worker suffered serious injuries that could easily have been prevented had suitable actions to reduce risk been taken.
“Any work requiring people to be close to moving traffic needs to be properly assessed. Workers need to be protected and motorists need to be made aware that there may be people working in the road ahead.”
Information on improving safety for workers in or near live traffic can be found here.
