Concrete firm fined after accident
TWO companies, one from Cheshire, have been fined for safety failings after a worker lost three fingers and part of his thumb.
The 37-year-old man, who does not wish to be named, had been working with another employee for O’Neill Concrete Pumping Ltd to pump concrete into a garden in Telford in February 2010.
When the job was finished he went to clean the hopper and lifted the automatic locking hopper grille. As he did, the swinging tube, which is part of the pumping mechanism, moved and trapped his right hand, crushing his fingers. He was taken to hospital and had three fingers and part of his thumb amputated.
During the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecution, Telford Magistrates’ Court heard that Sandbach-based Transcrete (GB) Ltd supplied the concrete pump to O’Neill Concrete Pumping Ltd. There were defects found with the machine supplied.
Following the incident prohibition notices were immediately served on two lorry-mounted concrete pumps owned and used by O’Neill Concrete Pumping Ltd due to the failure of the interlocking system on the hopper.
HSE found that O’Neill had failed to ensure that effective measures were taken to prevent access to dangerous parts of the hopper of the lorry-mounted concrete pump and that Transcrete had failed to ensure that it was designed to be safe when it was being cleaned or maintained.
Transcrete (GB) Ltd of Sandbach, Cheshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 6(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 for failing to ensure the concrete pump supplied was safe between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2006. It was fined £4,000 with costs of £2,000.
O’Neill Concrete Pumping Ltd, of Bilston, West Midlands, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined £3,000 with costs of £2,000.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Guy Dale said: “The employee will see his injuries every day and have to change the way he lives for the rest of his life. A safe, compliant machine and simple safety checks would have meant the incident would never have occurred.”
