Company is penalised after severe injury to worker due to Ill-maintenance of machinery.
Companies need to check that their machinery and equipment are in good shape and are safe enough in order to ensure the safety of employees, reminded the HSE after a recent prosecution involving an accident at a worksite.
Eimco Water Technologies Ltd of Colchester in Essex had to face prosecutions before Southampton Magistrate’s Court for the accident of an employee, whose pelvis was fractured when a massive machine fell on him.
The employer pleaded guilty to the charges under section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, and was ordered to pay a fine of £12,000 and costs of £3,661.40.
The water filtration company supplies water intake systems, wherein seawater is taken and supplied to power stations for cooling and then poured back into the sea.
The accident happened at Marchwood Power Station Construction site in 2008, when contractor Grzegorz Trafisz was assembling two constituents of a stop-log that were fixed on axle stands at a height of around 0.6 meters. One of the stop-logs gave way and fell on him, causing serious pelvic injuries.
The investigation later found out that the company had defaulted on a number of counts, including failure to conduct risk assessment and provide a safe and secure work environment. Moreover, the company had been using the wrong equipment and had failed to adhere to its own instructions on assembly processes.
Written by Giles Kendrick
giles.kendrick@googlemail.com
http://www.healthandsafetynews.co.uk/
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