Lafarge Cement fined £200,000 for H&S breach
Lafarge Cement has been fined £200,000 after a quarry worker lost an ear after falling into an electric cooling fan at the firm’s Dunbar site in East Lothian.
Stuart Richardson has been left severely impaired after suffering injuries to his face and arm when he became caught in the fan of one of the motors driving the stacker machine at the site in late January last year.
The fan had been left uncovered and welder Richardson, who had worked for the company for nine years, became entangled in it. It is not known how the incident happened as he cannot remember any details.
Richardson was rushed to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and later transferred to St John's Hospital in Livingston for specialist treatment to repair skeletal damage to his head including the fixing of screws in his mouth.
The health and safety inspector said there had been no sufficient system of work in place at the time to make employees aware of the hazards involved in the job. Lafarge said it has since rectified this issue.
The firm admitted two offences under the Health and Safety at Work Act at Edinburgh Sheriff’s Court today. Sheriff Kenneth Maciver reduced the fine from £300,000 because Lafarge pleaded guilty.
Stuart Richardson has been left severely impaired after suffering injuries to his face and arm when he became caught in the fan of one of the motors driving the stacker machine at the site in late January last year.
The fan had been left uncovered and welder Richardson, who had worked for the company for nine years, became entangled in it. It is not known how the incident happened as he cannot remember any details.
Richardson was rushed to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and later transferred to St John's Hospital in Livingston for specialist treatment to repair skeletal damage to his head including the fixing of screws in his mouth.
The health and safety inspector said there had been no sufficient system of work in place at the time to make employees aware of the hazards involved in the job. Lafarge said it has since rectified this issue.
The firm admitted two offences under the Health and Safety at Work Act at Edinburgh Sheriff’s Court today. Sheriff Kenneth Maciver reduced the fine from £300,000 because Lafarge pleaded guilty.
