Firm fined £10, 500 after 600kg bag of fertiliser falls on worker
12:28 - 22/08/2011
Firm fined £10, 500 after 600kg bag ...
A Middlesbrough-based firm has been given a £10,500 fine after one of its workers suffered serious injuries when a 600kg bag of ammonium nitrate fell on him.
Robert Dearlove, 32, an employee of Fertiliser Solutions Ltd, has been unable to return to work since the accident on 29th April 2008 due to ongoing back pain and mobility problems.
He suffered a serious back injury, a fractured right thigh and ligament damage to his left leg when a bag of fertiliser fell from a stack and hit him on the back at his employer’s warehouse in Dawson’s Wharf, Middlesbrough.
The force knocked him over and caused him to strike his head on the floor. He was hospitalised for three weeks and forced to wear a back brace for five months. He has since undergone surgery on his back.
Fertiliser Solutions Ltd pleaded guilty at Teesside Magistrate’s Court to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 in connection with the incident. They were also ordered to pay £12,411.45 in prosecution costs.
The court heard how Mr Dearlove was working with colleagues to clear up a spillage after several bags had already fallen from a stack. He was hooking up fallen bags onto the arms of a forklift truck as another worker swept up the ammonium nitrate. They were working in close proximity to a remaining stack of fertiliser bags, which had been stacked three high. Mr Dearlove had his back to the stack when one of the bags from the third level fell and hit him.
Commenting on the case, HSE Inspector Catherine Rimmer said: “Three years after an incident that could have easily been avoided, Robert Dearlove is still suffering as a result of his injuries.
“Although the company had a risk assessment for the bag store, which had identified bags falling from the stacks as a hazard, the control measures were simply too generic and made no reference to any safe working procedures.”
First Response Training can provide courses in the basics of workplace health and safety and risk assessment, to ensure that companies comply with legal requirements and have sufficient measures to control hazards and protect the safety of workers.
Perry Leeks, Managing Director for First Response, says: “Work-related accidents, especially in high risk industries and environments, can have a huge financial, legal and, most importantly, human cost for employers, workers and their families. We have a wide range of health and safety training courses for all working environments and are able to develop bespoke solutions specifically for your organisation.
“Please call us on free phone 0800 310 2300 to find out about courses such as Essentials of Health and Safety, Managing and Supervising Risk, IOSH Working Safely, Manual Handling and Behavioural Change in Health and Safety. Training is vital to ensure that a robust safety culture is promoted and integrated into all aspects of your work environment.”
Robert Dearlove, 32, an employee of Fertiliser Solutions Ltd, has been unable to return to work since the accident on 29th April 2008 due to ongoing back pain and mobility problems.
He suffered a serious back injury, a fractured right thigh and ligament damage to his left leg when a bag of fertiliser fell from a stack and hit him on the back at his employer’s warehouse in Dawson’s Wharf, Middlesbrough.
The force knocked him over and caused him to strike his head on the floor. He was hospitalised for three weeks and forced to wear a back brace for five months. He has since undergone surgery on his back.
Fertiliser Solutions Ltd pleaded guilty at Teesside Magistrate’s Court to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 in connection with the incident. They were also ordered to pay £12,411.45 in prosecution costs.
The court heard how Mr Dearlove was working with colleagues to clear up a spillage after several bags had already fallen from a stack. He was hooking up fallen bags onto the arms of a forklift truck as another worker swept up the ammonium nitrate. They were working in close proximity to a remaining stack of fertiliser bags, which had been stacked three high. Mr Dearlove had his back to the stack when one of the bags from the third level fell and hit him.
Commenting on the case, HSE Inspector Catherine Rimmer said: “Three years after an incident that could have easily been avoided, Robert Dearlove is still suffering as a result of his injuries.
“Although the company had a risk assessment for the bag store, which had identified bags falling from the stacks as a hazard, the control measures were simply too generic and made no reference to any safe working procedures.”
First Response Training can provide courses in the basics of workplace health and safety and risk assessment, to ensure that companies comply with legal requirements and have sufficient measures to control hazards and protect the safety of workers.
Perry Leeks, Managing Director for First Response, says: “Work-related accidents, especially in high risk industries and environments, can have a huge financial, legal and, most importantly, human cost for employers, workers and their families. We have a wide range of health and safety training courses for all working environments and are able to develop bespoke solutions specifically for your organisation.
“Please call us on free phone 0800 310 2300 to find out about courses such as Essentials of Health and Safety, Managing and Supervising Risk, IOSH Working Safely, Manual Handling and Behavioural Change in Health and Safety. Training is vital to ensure that a robust safety culture is promoted and integrated into all aspects of your work environment.”
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