£14k bill for firm after Brierley Hill worker fell on platform

Anthony Latham escaped with bruising to his shoulder, arm and neck during the incident in Brierley Hill but health and safety chiefs said he could easily have fallen backwards into the molten metal stream.

Brockmoor Foundry Company Limited of Leys Road, pleaded guilty to a charge of breaching the Health & Safety at Work act at Dudley Magistrates Court yesterday after failing to carry out risk assessments at the factory.

The firm was charged following the incident in October 2011 when Mr Latham, aged 41, of Tipton, fell on a platform above a conveyor belt containing molten metal at a temperature of 1,400C

A report by the HSE was carried out and it was discovered employees, who work taking samples of the metal, were misusing the platform as a step to cross a conveyor belt which ultimately led to its collapse

Magistrates heard that ad-hoc repairs were made to the platform but no risk assessment was carried out by the company nor was there any safety guidance given to employees.

John Glynn, prosecuting on behalf of the HSE, said: "The incident was entirely avoidable and occurred because the company failed to assess the risks and control the hazards associated with their work activities."

Gary Lews, defending, said: "The company has a dedicated health and safety manager and they take such incidents very seriously.

"They were the ones who reported this to the HSE as opposed to the investigators simply finding out from elsewhere."

The firm was fined £10,400 for the breach and ordered to pay £4,000 in court costs.

The chairman of magistrates Dr Catherine Round said while sentencing: "For three years people were working without a hand rail. This was more careless than it was reckless or deliberate."