News
Health & Safety Update (February 2010)
£80,000 Fine Following Young Man Death
A Welsh construction company has been fined after one of its
employees suffered a fatal head injury at a site in
Gloucestershire.
The employee was killed while working on a construction site at
Chestnut Walk in Abbeymead, Gloucester in 2005. He was driving a
mini digger - which he was not qualified to operate - and
unintentionally hit a lever as he leaned out of the cab window. The
digging arm of the vehicle was raised and his head was caught
between the cab and the arm. He suffered fatal injuries and
was pronounced dead on site.
The Company pleaded guilty to breaches under Regulation 9(1) and
28(a) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.
The company was fined £40,000 for each charge and ordered to pay
costs of £29,798.14
This terrible incident highlights the extremely serious risks
posed by equipment and vehicles on sites if the workers using them
don't have adequate training or are not versed in safe working
procedures.
The site workers were not all properly trained to use the
equipment they were handling and, just as seriously, vehicle keys
were routinely left in the machines. As a result, the vehicles were
accessible to anyone on site, regardless of their
qualifications.
It is imperative that on any construction site using plant and
machinery there are systems in place to control access to vehicles.
Construction site managers need to know which workers on site are
qualified to operate the machinery and that their control systems
are working effectively.
Anyone with responsibility for work equipment and its use -
directly or indirectly - and those who hire work equipment, have
responsibilities under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment
Regulations 1998 (PUWER 98). Regulations 4 to 10 of PUWER 98 place
duties on employers relating to 'management', including training,
information and instructions, selection of suitable equipment,
maintenance and specific risks.
Call our Advice Service or your dedicated Consultant for
information on control of workplace equipment.