Wienerberger fined for safety failings
Brick manufacturer prosecuted after kiln operator suffers life-changing injuries in fall from height
WIENERBERGER Ltd have been fined for safety failings after a worker suffered multiple injuries when he fell from the roof of a brick kiln at a site in Bishop Auckland.
David Snow sustained a fractured skull and several breaks to his left leg in the incident at the company’s brick-manufacturing plant on 18 January 2012.
He has since needed major and on-going reconstructive surgery and, more than a year later, relies on crutches or a wheelchair to move about.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated the incident at the now-mothballed site and prosecuted Wienerberger Ltd at Darlington Magistrates’ Court.
The court heard Mr Snow, a kiln operator, was standing on top of the large oven trying to release the exit door that had been jamming half-open since the Christmas shutdown. As he tried to free the jam, he lost his balance and fell approximately 3m to the floor.
The HSE found the firm failed to provide any safety measures to control the risks of falling from height and failed to provide a safe system of work for releasing the jammed oven door.
Cheadle-based Wienerberger Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act and were fined £13,500 and ordered to pay £4,190.70 costs.
After the hearing, HSE Inspector Michael Kingston said: ‘Mr Snow suffered major, life-changing injuries as a result of this incident, but there was a real possibility that his fall could have been fatal.
‘Wienerberger Ltd were aware of the oven door jamming but failed to put an engineering solution in place until after the incident. In addition, no edge protection or any simple precautionary measures were provided temporarily to prevent Mr Snow, or any other employee, falling almost 3m to the factory floor.
‘Falls from height continue to be the main cause of workplace fatalities even though simple and inexpensive measures can be implemented to avoid putting employees at risk.’
