Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 25th April 2024 Issue no. 1111
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Metal recycling firm fined after worker suffered hand and arm injuries
Totternhoe Metal Recycling has been fined after a worker was injured whilst delivering waste metal. The 40 year old worker from Bedfordshire, who does not wish to be named, lost the top of his thumb and suffered damage to his hand and arm in the incident which happened last April at The Recycling Centre, The Lime Works in Totternhoe.
Luton Magistrates Court heard on Tuesday that the worker was delivering waste metal to the site in a transit van. Whilst the van was parked, the counterbalance on a wheeled crane used for unloading metal hit the rear door and caught the worker's left hand. He required skin grafts to his thumb and surgery to repair the damage to his forearm, followed by months of physiotherapy. He is still unable to use his thumb or grip anything with his left hand.
Totternhoe Metal Recycling pleaded guilty to breaching section 3(1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act, 1974 and was fined £12,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1,889.60 and a £120 victim surcharge.
Speaking after the hearing HSE Inspector Emma Page said:
"The accident rate within the waste & recycling industry remains one of the highest in any industry. As in this case many of these incidents relate to contact between vehicles and pedestrians.
"Totternhoe failed to put in place control measures to ensure adequate segregation of vehicles and pedestrians despite having identified and acted upon this issue at another site belonging to its sister company. Had it done so the injuries to this worker, which have left him affected both physically and emotionally, could have been avoided.
"Where duty holders fall short of industry standards, HSE will not hesitate to take enforcement action against those who create the risk."
More information on safe segregation of vehicles and pedestrians can be found at:
6th August 2015