Tank Farming

After a serious injury to a worker caused by machinery, Basingstoke Magistrates Court fined Tex Engineering Ltd, the manufacturers of the equipment that caused the injury. The machine in question was an asphalt mixer used to lay flooring on site.

HSE investigations led to the court’s decision to penalise the manufacturing company. The case concluded with the imposition of a fine amounting to £10,000 and additional costs of nearly £15,000.

The company was charged with breach of Health and Safety at Work Act provisions. It pleaded guilty to the charge and agreed to pay the fine. The company was prosecuted following an accident in which Stephen Beare, an independent contractor, lost four fingers and damaged his thumb while using the Warrior 25cwt asphalt mixer that was manufactured by the company.

Beare sustained these injuries when his hand got entangled in the asphalt mixer as he was engaged in floor laying at a site in Southampton. He was working for Botley Roofing Ltd when the incident occurred. Beare was checking the temperature inside the asphalt mixer to make sure that the asphalt retained usable consistency. Accidentally, he knocked aside a wooden prop used to keep the lid open. The prop fell into the mixer and Beare reflexively reached into the mixer to retrieve it. His hand was trapped in the moving parts of the machine and this severed his four fingers and part of his thumb. He was unable to withdraw his hand in time to prevent injury.

Investigations revealed that an earlier incident with similar machinery had also resulted in this kind of injury to another worker in 2001.

Following the prosecution, HSE has called on employers to make sure adequate precautions and safety norms are followed without fail during operations involving the use of heavy machinery.

The current demands on organisations to effectively manage their occupational health and safety environment risks are imense. Health and safety consultants and advisors can help to address some of these challenges and provide invaluable support to organisations in attaining their health and safety objectives.

The health and safety consultants from Workplace Law Training offer a range of services, and can help in managing the consequences of incidents and accidents; to identify and make recommendations of an accident investigation aimed at preventing a re-occurrence with the aim to get your business up and running in the event of an accident or an improvement or prohibition notice.