Halifax Company fined
A Halifax demolition firm was today fined after an incident left a worker with devastating injuries when he was struck by a metal girder.
An employee working on a demolition site in Rossington, near Doncaster, was hit on the head by a 20-metre steel girder being moved by a hydraulic excavator.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) brought the prosecution against the employer, after investigating the incident.
Demolition of a building had been underway for some time which involved the men working close to the excavators, moving materials around. Employees were sorting materials on the site and there were no safeguards in place to keep them a safe distance from the machines and their loads.
As a result, the employee was hit by the girder as it was being moved. He suffered extensive head injuries and fractured vertebrae. More than two years after the incident he is still suffering the effects of his life-changing injuries.
The company was fined £7,500 and ordered to pay £20,000 in costs.
After the hearing HSE Inspector Rob Cooper said:
"This appalling incident could have very easily been avoided had proper thought and planning been put in place. Because of this lack of care, the employee was unwittingly in an area he should not have been in. Sadly he suffered terrible injuries as a result, but he could have lost his life.”
Updated on 9/13/2011