Firm fined £50,000 after worker crushed by excavator
A company has been fined £50,000 after a worker was crushed in Stafford, suffering life-changing injuries.
The fine was imposed on Wolverhampton-based Sterry Lane Limited, trading as LPD Demolition, by magistrates.
They heard how a 39-year old-employee was crushed by a reversing excavator during demolition work on May 3 last year.
The magistrates in Newcastle under Lyme were told employees of Sterry Lane had been contracted to complete demolition work on a site in Stafford.
Workers were moving debris around the excavator when it began to reverse, crushing the man and leaving him with serious injuries to one of his legs and his torso.
He also suffered multiple fractures to his legs and pelvis, as well as punctured lungs and liver injuries.
The man requires assistance to move around his home and has not returned to work more than 16 months after the incident.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the company failed to implement a suitable management system to segregate pedestrians and vehicles on site.
The investigation also found the company failed to adequately plan demolition work on site and failed to highlight the risks of workers and machinery operating in the same areas, without clear communication between the driver and workers on the ground.
Sterry Lane Limited of Hickman Avenue, Eastfield, Wolverhampton pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 15 (2) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015.
The company was fined £50,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1,726.88 on Tuesday.
Speaking after the hearing HSE inspector Katherine Blunt said: “This incident could have easily been prevented had the company implemented the required safety measures to minimise the risk of harm to workers on site.
“Sterry Lane’s failings have led to this employee suffering life changing injuries, an individual’s health should not be made worse by the work they do, all workers have the right to go home healthy.”
