A waste management company has pleaded guilty to causing life changing injuries, after an employee, who was working as a Banksman, was crushed.
On 27th February 2017, an employee of Viridor Waste Management Limited was crushed by a 22.5 tonne shovel loader that was being reversed by an on-site contractor on their site in Crayford. At the time of the incident, the employee was acting as a Banksman in the area, assisting a lorry to manoeuvre into a bay.
At the same time, the shovel loader reversed out of another bay, unassisted, knocking the Banksman to the ground. The vehicle drove over the lower half of his body, causing serious internal injuries and multiple serious fractures. As a result of the accident, the worker has been left with life changing injuries.
An investigation carried out by Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after the incident found that the company had not sufficiently organised the working site to safety segregate pedestrians from moving vehicles. It was also noted that this particular incident was the fourth prosecution in four years for Viridor Waste Management Limited – two of the previous prosecutions related to fatal incidents.
HSE inspector, Megan Carr, commented “This incident is a reminder to the waste and recycling industry as to the importance of food workplace transport control which can often be achieved by simple pragmatic steps to avoid such incidents from occurring. HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that all below the required standards.”
Viridor Waste Management Limited were found guilty of breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 by virtue of Regulation 17(1) and fined £400,000.
Source: HSE, Banksman crushed by a shovel loader on a large waste and recycling site, 3rd March 2020. Read the full article.