Luke Simpson, 24, was injured after a trolley he was moving fell on his legs, Luton Magistrates’ Court heard. A bundle of 18 steel bars weighing about 900kg was being transported on the trolley (trolley involved in the accident pictured by Mr Simpson and a colleague. The trolley tipped over and the bars fell onto his leg and foot.
Although he was taken to hospital quickly, Mr Simpson’s right leg was broken and his foot was crushed. Despite a number of operations, most of the foot was amputated; he now has a prosthetic foot. It took several months for Mr Simpson to be able to return to work and is currently only able to do so on a part-time basis.
The Health and Safety Executive found that metal trolleys had been used on the site for 20 years without incident. The company, Smiths Metal Centres, had originally purchased them to be used as workstations, but employees had begun using them to move stock around the site. There was no risk assessment or written system of work for the trolleys at the time of the accident. The trolley involved also had faulty wheels and had no record of maintenance. Tests after the accident found that it had a safe working load of 500kg – around half the amount placed on the trolley at the time.
“Luke’s life has been drastically altered by what happened, and this incident could have been very easily avoided with some very simple measures,” said HSE inspector Emma Page. “The right equipment and a correct maintenance system would have prevented this from happening.”
Smiths Metal Centres pleaded guilty to Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined £130,000 with costs of almost £2,500 and a victim surcharge of £120.
