A waste and recycling company has been fined over £30,000 after an employee suffered life-changing injuries from being crushed by a reversing telehandler.
While working for Sheridan Skips Burnley Ltd, Jordan Campion, now 21, was sorting and separating waste material by hand when a telehandler reversed into him, crushing Campion against a brick wall.
Campion was hospitalised for nearly two weeks after suffering multiple fractures, nerve damage to his right arm, and internal organ injuries.
He also lost partial hearing in his right ear and developed a blood clot, which caused optical damage to his right eye, resulting in permanent sight loss in that eye.
Sheridan Skips Burnley Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc and was fined £24,000, and ordered to pay £4777 in costs.
In his victim’s personal statement, Campion said the incident had caused his family ‘great distress’ and said they now ‘permanently worry about me’.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Campion and other employees frequently worked in the yard while vehicles operated alongside them.
Sheridan Skips Burnley Limited had not undertaken a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks and failed to provide adequate measures for the safe segregation of vehicles and pedestrians.
There was no physical protection from vehicle movement and the telehandler was also missing mirrors, which meant the operator could not see clearly while reversing.
HSE inspector Anthony Banks commented: “This young man’s injuries could so easily have been avoided with the implementation of safe working practices, including pedestrian and vehicle segregation and safe refuges for workers whilst vehicles were operating.”
“These measures would have ensured that workers present in the yard were not put at risk of being struck by vehicles moving in and around where they were working.”
