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Construction company fined after employee injures skull
On 30th August 2007 a contractor, on the Trinity Square construction site in central Nottingham, drove a cherry picker over a concealed manhole cover. Due to the weight of the machine, the cover gave way and caused the cherry picker to topple over. The long reaching arm of the machine crashed to the ground, landing in a busy area that had been occupied by pedestrians and vehicles.
Following the incident, Milton Street in central Nottingham was blocked off for almost six hours. The employee suffered severe injuries to his skull, back and legs.
The company pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 for its part at the Nottingham Magistrates' Court. In addition to the fine, it was ordered to pay £6,900 costs.
HSE Inspector Martin Giles said, "This was a very dangerous incident, in an area which was bustling with pedestrians and vehicles. It could so easily have led to people being killed and has left a worker with serious injuries. When people's lives are at risk it is absolutely inexcusable to leave this to chance".
He added, "The company failed to put in place adequate measures to find and record where the man holes and service covers were around the site and failed to take steps to protect them or prevent vehicles from driving over them. Operators of mobile elevating work platforms, such as scissor lifts and cherry pickers, must be warned about manhole covers and underground services because there is a real risk of them collapsing and heavy vehicles toppling over".
Filed by Jessica Man © 2010 - Legal Advice Helpline
Published 08/02/2010
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