Waste and recycling services company Veolia ES Staffordshire Ltd (part of Veolia UK group) has been prosecuted after a worker suffered life changing injuries when he fell more than eight feet from height.
The worker, who does not wish to be named, fell from the unprotected edge of a ‘grizzly conveyor’ at the firm’s site on Enterprise Drive whilst clearing items caught on the conveyor’s forks, on 2 May 2014.
He suffered serious injuries as a result of the incident and has only been able to return to work to perform limited duties.
The HSE investigation into the incident found that although clearing the conveyor was a routine part of the job, no risk assessment had been carried out.
Veoila ES Staffordshire Ltd of London pleaded guilty at Stafford Magistrates’ Court to breaching regulation 6(3) of The Work at Height Regulations 2005 and regulation 3(1) of The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and was fined a total of £16,600 and ordered to pay £1,773.15 in costs with a victim surcharge of £120.
Speaking after the hearing HSE inspector Katherine Blunt said: “This incident was entirely preventable, clearing the conveyor in this way was a routine part of the job but no risk assessment had been carried out. If it had it would have been obvious edge protection was essential.
“The injured worker is still suffering from his injuries now and has only been able to return to work on limited duties.
“Falls from height are the most common cause of serious injury and fatalities in the workplace, it’s imperative that risk assessments are carried out and suitable control measures are put in place to eliminate or reduce the risk.”
A spokesperson from Veolia said: “Veolia deeply regrets this incident and the injury suffered by our colleague. We co-operated fully with the Health & Safety Executive and we have implemented the necessary improvements so as to ensure incidents of this nature are not repeated.
“As a company we treat health and safety as our highest operational priority and we remain completely focused on accident prevention.”
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!
