Two construction firms fined total of £120,000 after groundworker suffered horrific injuries when heavy drainage pipes fell on him
Two construction companies have been fined a total of £120,000 after a groundworker suffered horrific injuries when heavy drainage pipes fell on top of him.
Anthony Pennell was rushed to Royal Stoke University Hospital having sustained several fractures to both sides of his pelvis, as well as a fractured vertebrae and bleed on the spine, following the incident at a site in Fradley Park, Lichfield on September 3, 2019.
Mr Pennell, who was 32 at the time, spent nine days in hospital before he was able to be discharged to his home in Cleethorpes.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has guidance about the regulations on lifting operations and equipment.
“I had to sleep downstairs for about five months after the accident and I could only use the downstairs toilet,” he said.
“I had a lot of help from my partner Zoe who was allowed a period of time off work which lasted for the first 14 days after I came home.
“She helped me with washing and changing my clothes. She brought everything that I needed to me because I could only mobilise with difficulty and using two crutches and therefore, I couldn’t carry anything.”
HSE enforcement lawyer Nathan Cook, told Telford Magistrates’ Court how Mr Pennell, an employee of R O Donnell Plant & Civil Ltd, sustained his injuries.
