Wienerberger fined after worker fractures skull
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A Cheshire brick manufacturer has been fined £13,500 after a worker fractured his skull and broke a leg when he fell from an industrial brick oven.
Wienerberger of Cheadle failed to provide any safety measures to control the risks of falling from height, Darlington Magistrates Court heard.
David Snow, 56, lost his balance while trying to release a jammed exit door at the top of the oven in January 2012. Wienerberger failed to provide a safe system of work for releasing the jammed oven door, the court heard.
Snow now relies on crutches or a wheelchair to move about.
HSE Inspector Michael Kingston said: "Mr Snow suffered major, life changing injuries as a result of this incident, but there was a real possibility that his fall could have been fatal.
"Wienerberger Ltd was aware of the oven door jamming but failed to put an engineering solution in place until after the incident. In addition no edge protection or any simple precautionary measures were provided temporarily to prevent Mr Snow, or any other employee, falling almost three metres to the factory floor."
The incident occurred at Wienerberger's now mothballed site at Eldon Lane, Bishop Auckland.
Wienerberger Limited, Wienerberger House, Brooks Drive, Cheadle, Cheshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act and were fined £13,500 and ordered to pay £4,190.70 costs.
