A NORTH Staffordshire mineral company has been fined £8,000 after an employee was left "lucky to be alive" when he was impaled on the spikes of an industrial hopper grill.

Simon Lowe, 30, sustained serious injuries including deep puncture wounds, internal bleeding, a broken pelvis, fractured spine and lacerated tendons in his thumb.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted Newcastle-based Dupre Minerals after its investigation found employees had been left to devise their own systems of work and there w......for the full story register now for free or login below...