Electrical goods recycler fined for falling
appliances
Health & Safety update 22/06/2011
The electronic waste recycling company, Environcom England, is
facing a £23,000 bill for an incident at its Lincolnshire plant
that saw a worker pinned under falling electronic appliances.
Grantham Magistrates' Court heard this week how the Polish
worker had suffered severe and debilitating bruising from the
incident, which was caused after a pile of appliances - which had
been stacked five or six high, in preparation for recycling -
collapsed on top of him in September 2009.
The company pleaded guilty to two breaches of the Health and
Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The second breach occurred after that
accident had taken place, when inspectors returned to the plant at
Spittlegate Level, to find that the goods were still being piled
"dangerously high". This led to a prohibition order being placed on
the plant until matters were addressed.
The first offence resulted in a £7,000 fine, while the second
offence cost them £10,000. They were also ordered to pay full costs
of £5,915.
Health and Safety Executive inspector, Judith McNulty-Green,
said the accident was easily preventable, and the worker was
extremely fortunate not to have been more seriously hurt.
"Heavy machines like cookers and washers should never have been
stacked so high," she said. "If they had been stacked on their side
it would have provided a broader and more stable base and stacking
them against a wall would also have given much more stability."