Company fined after worker suffers crush injuries

A Lancashire based company Spectral Colours Limited (SCL) has been fined after a worker was crushed under machinery.

Manchester Crown Court heard how the 57-year old employee of SCL was cleaning the dispersion mixing machine at the company’s premises in Crawford Street, Manchester on 30 April 2014. The worker sat on one of the clamping arms when it suddenly toppled over and pinned the worker’s leg underneath the machine.

The employee suffered a fractured ankle and serious crush injuries to his foot.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the company failed to properly secure the machinery on site to the ground, increasing the risk of the machinery toppling over and injuring employees.

Spectral Colours Limited of Crawford Street, Rochdale, Lancashire has today pleaded guilty of breaching Regulation 20 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.

The company has been fined £3000 and ordered to pay costs of £22,444.

Speaking after the hearing HSE inspector Tim Beaumont said: “This case highlights the need for all duty holders to ensure all machinery in their workplaces are properly fixed and maintained to the required safety standard.

“If Spectral Colours had been more thorough in ensuring that the installation of the machinery was completed properly then this accident wouldn’t have happened.”

Notes to Editors:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice, promoting training; new or revised regulations and codes of practice, and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement. www.hse.gov.uk

2.More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: www.legislation.gov.uk

3.HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk