Accident Claim Law - Accident Claim News

Man fined after worker falls to his death

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 11:21:17 GMT

Man fined after worker falls to his death

A man has been hit with a �20,000 fine after one of his employees fell through a fragile roof at a warehouse in Markinch and subsequently died.

Boyd Lamont was given the financial penalty in relation to the death of Thomas Sturrock, 32, after an accident at work in September 2008.

Mr Sturrock was one of several people employed by Mr Lamont to clean the roof of a warehouse at Tullis Russell Papermaker, but the boss was found to have failed to adequately assess the risk they were placed at.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) announced details of the penalty and noted the victim had fallen about 14.5 metres on to a concrete floor.

He died as a result of the serious injuries he sustained immediately at the scene.

Elaine Taylor, head of the COPFS Health and Safety Division, said: "This tragic death could have been avoided if Boyd Lamont had properly assessed the risks associated with the work on the roof and ensured that his men had were properly trained, resourced and equipped."

Posted by M Heap

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Two firms punished over worker's injuries

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 15:54:20 GMT

Two firms punished over worker's injuries

Two companies have been prosecuted and punished for an accident at work in which a man suffered numerous injuries.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) took principal contractor JBN Builders and sub-contractors KJ Smith & Sons Painters & Decorators to court after Philip Brown fell through a skylight while painting the roof of an industrial unit in Kettering in January.

Mr Brown, 36, broke several bones including his hip, leg, wrist, elbow and pelvis when he crashed on to the concrete floor below.

Corby Magistrates heard how JBN Builders had made little effort to ensure the company it sub-contracted the work to was safe and competent, while KJ Smith & Sons Painters & Decorators was said to have failed to adequately assess the risks attached to the job.

The former was fined �3,000 and the latter ordered to pay �4,500 for their parts in the incident.

HSE inspector Sam Russell said: "Work at height is a high risk activity and steps should have been taken to identify those risks and mitigate against them."

Posted by M Heap

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Firm fined after worker loses four fingers

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 15:23:42 GMT

Firm fined after worker loses four fingers

A company has been hit with an �8,000 fine after one of its employees suffered an accident at work that left him without four of his fingers.

The unnamed 18-year-old man was working at engineering firm W P Metals in Aldridge, near Walsall, when disaster struck on February 16th this year, leading to a prosecution by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

He was using a poorly-guarded tube-expanding machine and training somebody else to use it at the same time, when his left hand became trapped.

All four fingers on the hand were severed by the swager machine and although surgeons successfully reattached two of them, the other two were lost.

The man now finds it hard to carry out everyday tasks and is said to struggle to even dress himself.

"W P Metals Ltd failed to provide guards for the swager and allowed access to dangerous parts of the machine. Employers must ensure that doesn't happen and make workers aware of the risks involved," said HSE inspector Eve-Marie Edwards.

Posted by M Heap

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Car plunges on to railway after accident

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 13:25:06 GMT

Car plunges on to railway after accident

A traffic accident in the south-west over the weekend led to a car being catapulted on to a railway line, leading to delays on local services.

The Western Morning News has told how trains on the Tarka Line were severely disrupted when a vehicle smashed over an embankment after colliding with another car on a nearby road.

It fell towards the railway following the accident on the A377 at King's Nympton, Umberleigh and one person was left trapped in the car close to the Exeter to Barnstaple line.

Although the driver of the car was cut free by fire crews and taken to hospital by air ambulance, it is not yet known whether they sustained any serious injuries.

In addition, another three people were treated for injuries by ambulance crews after being discovered at the scene.

Over the coming weeks, an investigation into the crash could help those involved judge who was to blame.

Posted by M Heap

Traffic accident claims advice from Serious Law

Contractor injured in 5m fall from ladder

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 11:56:34 GMT

Contractor injured in 5m fall from ladder

A man fell more than five metres after the ladder he was using fell away from its moorings and catapulted him into the air.

Adrian Morrow, who was working as a contractor for David Hodkinson at the time of the incident in November last year, fell on to a bag of sand that had been used to foot the ladder.

He sustained serious foot and ankle injuries and was forced to undergo a number of operations, meaning he could not work again for more than four months.

The accident at work was investigated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which decided to prosecute Mr Hodkinson. He has now been fined �1,500 after pleading guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

HSE inspector Paul Cooper explained: "David Hodkinson had a duty to ensure that workers in his care were not exposed to unnecessary risks to their safety. Falls from height are an obvious risk in roof work."

Posted by M Heap

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Builder punished over worker's 2.3m fall

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 12:00:47 GMT

Builder punished over worker's 2.3m fall

A builder has been hit with an �8,000 fine after one of his employees suffered serious injuries in a 2.3-metre fall from a roof.

Andrew Hosking, 34, was working for Paul Siviter, trading as Paul Siviter General Builder, at a site in Glascoed when disaster struck in October last year, leading to an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

He was working on the roof of a property in the town when he fell after the beam he and colleague Anthony Skarratts, 20, were standing on broke.

Mr Hosking hit the edge of a bath tub, causing his injuries, while Mr Skarratts escaped without harm.

HSE inspector Simon Breen said: "The fall could have easily have been prevented had suitable scaffolding, or other measures, been in place for the duration of the work."

The investigation discovered that no steps had been taken to prevent falls from height occurring at the site.

Posted by M Heap

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Toolmaker granted �450,000 after workplace accident

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 10:51:17 GMT

Toolmaker granted �450,000 after workplace accident

A toolmaker in Manchester has received �450,000 in compensation after losing his fingers in an accident at work.

David Taylor crushed his left hand as he was moving a heavy piece of equipment off a bench, which slipped and trapped his fingers in a sling, the Manchester Evening News reports.

The worker was taken to Wythenshawe Hospital for an 18-hour operation, but he lost his entire little finger, the tip of his index finger, half a thumb and middle and ring fingers down to the knuckle.

Mr Taylor was quoted as saying: "People will look at the compensation amount but they don't realise the tremendous physical pain and perhaps even more devastating, the psychological anguish that you go through with an injury like this."

After making an accident claim against engineering firm Renold Chain, the company admitted liability and settled the case.

Mr Taylor added he suffered flashbacks as a result of post-traumatic stress and the injury has prevented him from going to see his son compete in swimming competitions.

Posted by TB Walters

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Head injury leads to company fine

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 11:30:43 GMT

Head injury leads to company fine

A company has been hit with a substantial fine after one of its employees suffered a serious head injury as well as facial problems as a result of an accident.

The 20-year old worker was injured when he was using a grinding wheel that broke on a hand-held grinder he was controlling.

A wheel from the grinder was catapulted away from the machine and smashed through the man's visor, hitting him in the face.

Wyman-Gordon, based in Lincoln, was investigated and prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in the aftermath of the incident and it has now been fined �16,500 after it was found that the man had not been adequately trained.

He was also discovered to have worked without proper supervision at the time of the accident with the grinders.

HSE inspector Scott Wynne said: "It is vital that workers who use hand-held grinders get appropriate training in their safe use and in how to change the grinding wheels properly."

Posted by M Heap

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Milling company punished over worker's fall

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 11:23:01 GMT

Milling company punished over worker's fall

A fine has been dished out to a milling company after it was found to have breached safety regulations in relation to a fall suffered by one of its workers.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted European Oat Millers for the incident, in which Mark Askham, 45, tumbled almost three metres on to a concrete surface below.

He had climbed up pipework in a bid to unblock a feed pipe at the firm's site in Bedford in February 2011 when disaster struck and the accident at work occurred.

No ladder or platform was available to Mr Askham, who became unbalanced while climbing the pipe and fell, hitting pipes on his way down.

"You do not have to fall from a great height to either lose or ruin your life. Work at height remains one of the most significant causes of fatalities and major injuries among employees," explained HSE inspector Emma Rowlands.

European Oat Millers has been fined �12,000 for its role in the accident and ordered to pay costs of more than �3,700.

Posted by M Heap

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Company fined after employee falls through roof

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 11:35:56 GMT

Company fined after employee falls through roof

A company based in Knightsbridge has been fined after one of its employees fell through a roof at a Surrey riding school.

The unnamed worker plummeted six metres on to a sand-covered floor below during an operation to clean gutters at Lilypond Farm near Chertsey.

His employer, MB Facilities Management, was investigated and subsequently prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), resulting in a �4,000 fine being dished out this week.

During a risk assessment, the company correctly identified the roof as a danger and noted that falling through the skylight was a possibility.

However, it did not take any further steps to protect workers or prevent falls, instead simply advising the skylight should not be crossed.

Speaking after the sentence was handed out, HSE inspector Russell Beckett said: "MB Facilities Management could have covered the skylight, or used a cherry picker to raise workers up to the roof light - both simple measures to take."

Posted by M Heap

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