October 10, 2012A construction worker suffered a ruptured bladder when he was run over by a seven-tonne excavator at a site in Mansfield.
Michael Tomlinson was working as a sub-contractor for Parkstone Construction Ltd during the construction of a supermarket on Jubilee Way South. He was carrying out groundwork to prepare the foundations for the building.
On 8 November 2010, an excavator was reversing on the site and struck Mr Tomlinson. The driver failed to notice him behind the vehicle, and Mr Tomlinson took the full impact of the tracks as they knocked him to the ground and crushed him underneath. He suffered a ruptured bladder and fractured wrist.
The HSE investigated the incident and found the company had failed to take steps to segregate workers from moving vehicles at the site. HSE Inspector Nic Rigby said: “This incident was entirely preventable, and Mr Tomlinson could have avoided serious and painful injuries had work at the site been better managed.”
Parkstone Construction appeared at Mansfield Magistrates’ Court on 3 October and pleaded guilty to breaching s3(1) of the HSWA 1974.
In mitigation, the company said it entered an early guilty plea and had no previous convictions.
After the hearing, inspector Rigby added: “Those in charge of construction sites must ensure that pedestrians and vehicles are effectively and safely segregated. There is clear guidance on how to achieve this and ensure incidents of this kind can be avoided.”
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Presumably this was yet another notifiable site?
Yet again the PC has incured no fault?
Traffic management is to be determined at design stage, and should be included in any CP Plan developed thereafter. Ongoing assessment of risk is further required as work progresses. Duty to monitor applies.
Additionally, PUWER applies for all round visibility of excavators where risk of impact applies?
CDM not applied again me thinks, I wonder if the revised CDM will improve this scenario?