West Midlands company fined after worker crushed by one-tonne block inside HGV
A West Midlands company has been fined at Kidderminster Magistrates Court after one of its workers were crushed by a concrete block inside a HGV trailer.
A vehicle maintenance company in Worcestershire has been fined after one of its workers was crushed under a one-tonne concrete block while inside a HGV trailer.
The father-of-two, 35, had been working for Redditch-based BA Mobile Fleet Services Limited when the incident occurred on December 14, 2023, leaving him with leg injuries so severe that his left foot and lower leg had to be amputated.
The then 33-year-old was inside a trailer while one-tonne concrete blocks were being loaded for a brake test.
He and a colleague were inside as another worker used a forklift to load the vehicle for a Driver Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) brake test. During loading, the forklift accidentally knocked a stack of blocks, causing them to fall onto him.
He also sustained serious injuries to his right leg and was dismissed from his job after the incident.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that BA Mobile Fleet Services Limited had failed to take appropriate precautions to segregate workers from moving vehicles on site.
The investigation also identified that the company had not provided training to the forklift truck driver and they had not authorised him to operate such vehicles.
Preventing workplace transport incidents requires organisations to implement proven control measures consistently. This means conducting thorough risk assessments, maintaining equipment rigorously, and empowering workers to identify hazards before incidents occur.
BA Mobile Fleet Services Limited of Unit 2 The Works, Tanworth Lane, Redditch, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act. The company was fined £30,000 and was ordered to pay £4,325 costs at a hearing at Kidderminster Magistrates Court yesterday (April 15).
HSE inspector Emma Page said: “The injuries sustained here by this young man have been truly life-changing. Too many people are injured or killed every year in workplace transport related incidents.
“Companies should do all they can to ensure all workers go home safely to their families at the end of each day. We will take action against those who fail to do so.”
This HSE prosecution was brought by enforcement lawyer Edward Parton and paralegal officer Rebecca Withell.