McGrath Bros fined £14,000 for driver leg-crush incident while unloading
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WASTE MANAGEMENT haulier McGrath Bros has been fined £14,000 after a driver had his legs crushed by two 700kg steel frames he was helping to unload from a truck.
City of London Magistrates' Court heard, during a prosecution brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), how the employee from the firm based in Hackney was unloading the structures from a delivery vehicle at Debden Wharf. Barking, in January 2008.
The men attempted to lift one frame using a crane and chains.
However, during the unloading process, one of the chains slipped, causing the hoisted frame to fall hack into the truck.
The victim suffered nine fractures to his legs after they became trapped between the two frames He spent six months in hospital and was off work for 14 months, but has subsequently returned to work for the company.
McGrath Bros (Waste Control) pleaded guilty to breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and was ordered to pay £7,447 costs.
HSE inspector Kevin Smith says the case should remind haulage companies that all aspects of work need risk assessments, and that all relevant risks must he examined and communicated to everyone involved in an operation.
"This was a very distressing incident that could, and should, have been avoided," he says, In a statement the directors of McGrath Bros said they acknowledge responsibility for the incident and have amended its lifting authorisation procedures to prevent a reoccurrence.