Steel Firm Fined for Health and Safety Breach
A steel firm has been prosecuted after a warehouse door crushed two workers. The maintenance fitters were attempting to repair a shutter at Tata Steel UK Ltd when a supporting pillar failed and the 300 kilogram door collapsed.
A Health and Safety Executive Investigation found that the firm had breached health and safety regulations by failing to ensure appropriate risk assessment and health and safety audits were carried out. This negligence put the lives of its staff in danger.
Anthony Ryecroft was off work for over a year after suffering serious injuries to his head, shoulder, and leg during the incident that took place in Workington in 2009. The 59-year-old worker Geoff Andersen has not yet returned to work after breaking his leg.
“These two workers have suffered major injuries, with long term effects to their lives, because their employer didn’t do enough to make sure they stayed safe. One of the workers could potentially have been killed if he hadn’t been wearing a hard hat. Despite this, he still suffered a severe cut to his head and several other serious injuries,” HSE Inspector Mike Griffiths revealed.
Tata Steel UK Ltd of Millbank, London, have been fined £13,300 and told to pay prosecution costs amounting to £11,631 after admitting to breaching the 1974 Health and Safety at Work etc. Act
“The work could have been carried out safely by removing the guide for the slats on the roller shutter door so that it could be wound up. However, it wasn’t planned properly in advance due to the company’s procedures,” Mr Griffiths concluded.
