22/06/2010 - Waste firm fined after man crushed
A recycling company has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after a worker was crushed by an 18-tonne truck, leaving him needing his leg amputated below the knee.
WSR Recycling Ltd received a £10,000 fine after the 46-year-old man, who does not wish to be named, lost part of his leg at the tipping bay on the company's Ditton Road site in Widnes on September 14, 2009.
The man was injured after being hit by a Volvo L110E articulated shovel loader at the Cheshire-based site.
At Halton Magistrates' Court in Runcorn on June 21, WSR Recycling admitted that it had not made sure vehicles and pedestrians were able to move around safely in the working bay.
Chris Goddard, the investigating inspector for HSE, said: "This worker has suffered a life-long injury as a result of a tragic incident and was very fortunate not to have been killed. He was run over by a very heavy vehicle, so his injuries could easily have been much worse.
"It was foreseeable that pedestrians would be working in the same area as trucks, and so measures should have been taken to manage the risks. The site should have been properly supervised so that workers were kept away from moving vehicles.
"Waste companies cannot afford to relax about safety, and risk developing bad habits as a result."
Copyright © Press Association 2010
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