£200k fine after employee crushes colleague

Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard how, on Friday 30th November 2018, an employee of Totally Local Company Ltd was seriously injured when a ride-on roller, driven by another employee, reversed into him as he was attempting to lock up a vehicle container. He was crushed between the vehicle and the container, that was there to support construction work at Abney Hall Country Park, Stockport, and suffered a collapsed lung and various broken bones requiring multiple surgeries.

An investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident found that the company had no traffic management plan in place. The traffic routes used were unsuitable and vehicles were not adequately separated from pedestrians, posing risk to both workers and the general public due to the park remaining open.

Totally Local Company Ltd of Oakhurst Drive, Stockport pleaded guilty to breaching sections 2 & 3 of The Health and Safety at Work Act etc 1974. The company was fined £200,000 and ordered to pay costs of £8,367.36.

After the investigation, HSE inspector Rebecca Hamer said: “Those in control of work have a responsibility to devise safe methods of working and to provide the necessary information, instruction and training to their workers in the safe system of working.”