Man lost leg in accident

A worker was left with a permanent disability after his leg was amputated as a result of an industrial accident at an agricultural contractor's rented premises at a farm in Drakelow, Derbyshire, in October 2007.

Pete Mellor Ltd of Burton on Trent was fined £12,000 with costs of £2,500, its employee was repairing a forklift truck which involved removing the counterbalance weight. The 1.8- tonne weight was not supported and it fell off, landing on a self-employed worker who was walking past at the time, crushing the man's left leg which had to be amputated below the knee.

An HSE official explained: "The incident resulted from an unsafe system of work. The weight was not supported during removal and the person carrying out the repair had been given insufficient information and instruction.

Also, the injured party was allowed to walk through the work area. A risk assessment for the job was not carried out. A suitable and sufficient assessment would have addressed all of these issues and a man may not have been left with a life-changing disability."

Article created by Editor. (info@safetynetscotland.co.uk)