Friday 20 June 2014

Company fined £22,000 after 630kg fan unit falls onto worker

Wilden Services Limited, a Hertfordshire engineering firm has been fined £22,148 (inc. costs) after a toppling fan unit crushed a worker as it was being manoeuvred into a plant room.
The circumstances were:
  • Wilden Services had been sub-contracted to install a ventilation system in a new- build head office for the World Wildlife Fund.
  • On 17 December 2012, a large fan unit weighing 630kg was being moved on a pallet truck.
  • It fell over and pinned him underneath.
  • This could have been prevented had a better system of work been in place.

The HSE inspector said:
“The employee was seriously injured and could have been paralysed had his spinal cord been damaged by the falling unit. Companies should always ensure that extreme care is taken when moving heavy items, and that includes properly assessing the risks in advance and agreeing a safe system of work. The incident was entirely avoidable with better planning and management.”

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