Company fined £30,000 after worker crushed by one-tonne block while inside HGV trailer

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted a company after a worker sustained life-changing injuries resulting in amputation when they were crushed under a one-tonne block of concrete. The worker had been inside an HGV box trailer while another worker loaded concrete blocks onto the trailer. During this process, a stack of blocks inside the trailer was moved causing the blocks to fall onto the worker’s legs.

The HSE investigation found that the company failed to take appropriate precautions to segregate workers from moving vehicles on site. The HSE also identified that the company had not provided training to the forklift truck driver who was not authorised to operate such vehicles. The company pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £30,000.