Concrete firm fined after worker suffers broken jaw
Injuries sustained while preparing to clean mixer result in £270,000 fine for Stanton Bonna Concrete Ltd
STANTON Bonna Concrete Ltd, based in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, have been fined £270,000 after a worker suffered head injuries.
Derby Magistrates’ Court heard how an employee of the firm suffered the injuries while preparing to clean a concrete mixer. This involved operators lying in the mixer to clean the discharge chute door.
To gain access to the mixer, the lid was winched open and a steel prop inserted to hold it open. As the lid was being winched, the wire rope snapped and the lid fell on to the workers head, crushing it against the mixer.
The worker sustained a broken jaw that required four screws to be put into his mouth to hold his jaw in place.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident, which occurred on 23 December 2014, found that the winch and wire rope had not been inspected or maintained, and there was inadequate risk assessment.
Stanton Bonna Concrete Ltd, who pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, were fined £270,000 and ordered to pay costs of £24,248.
HSE Inspector Lindsay Bentley said: ‘This incident was entirely preventable, had Stanton Bonna Ltd fully assessed the risks associated with the task and maintained the wire rope. Furthermore, following the incident an alternative method of cleaning the mixer, which didn’t involve employees getting into it, was adopted.’
