Personal Injury Solicitor Ipswich

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have successfully prosecuted a Leicestershire manufacturing company after an employees are was torn off by a giant industrial ‘corkscrew’ as he was carrying out repairs.

The unnamed man suffered a personal injury in Leicestershire when he was working on the machine on 29th May 2008 when the machine, an auger, was switched on by his supervisor after the power had not been correctly isolated. When the supervisor accidentally activated the machine, it tore the man's arm off above the elbow.

The experienced fitter had worked in the industry for 23 years before joining London Concrete Ltd 10 months before the incident.

The HSE investigation found that although London Concrete trained its workforce on safety and could isolate power to machines and prevent them from being used during repairs, it “failed to provide the injured man with initial training or any additional information about the equipment he was working on or company procedures”.

HSE's inspector, Nigel Fitzhugh said: "This was a terrible, preventable incident which resulted in a man having his left arm torn off above the elbow, an agonising injury which has had a profound and devastating effect on him.

"There was clearly a foreseeable risk of this sort of incident happening. London Concrete Ltd had in place measures to mitigate this kind of incident, but crucially failed to provide training to the injured man and failed to ensure that its own isolation procedures were followed.

"Permits to work are designed to prevent just the sort of misunderstanding that existed between the manager and the fitter.

"Incidents such as this show how important it is that safety training and procedures should exist in practice, not just on paper."

London Concrete Ltd, of Baron Hall, Copt Oak Road, Markfield, Leicestershire pleaded guilty on 3 May 2011 at High Wycombe Magistrates Court to breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. At Aylesbury Crown Court (18 July 2011), the firm was fined £16,000 and ordered to pay costs of £9,397.

It is expected that the man will sue the company for work injury compensation.

If you or someone you know would like to find out if they can claim injury compensation, call us today on 0800 612 7445 to arrange a free consultation with a specialist personal injury solicitor or click here to start your claim.