Shropshire milking firm fined £7,500 after skull injury
A milking company near Market Drayton has been fined £7,500 after an employee suffered a fractured skull when he was hit by an 80kg steel beam just a day after he started his job.
Alan Jackson, of United Milking Systems Ltd, based at Tern Hill, was asked to help an experienced engineer install a milking parlour at Brookley Meadows Farm, Thurvaston, in Derbyshire last year.
On Thursday, Derby Magistrates Court heard the 49-year-old from Preston was working at the farm on July 5, when the incident occurred.
The court was told part of the work involved installing four 80kg steel beams at a height of about two metres.
The two tried to install a beam by one person holding it over his head while the second climbed a stepladder, took the beam and placed it on to a wall bracket.
The engineer had rested one end of the beam on the wall bracket and they were lifting it on to the opposite bracket when it slipped.
As one end hit the floor the vibration caused the man on the ladder to lose his grip on the beam and it landed on Mr Jackson's head. He suffered a fractured skull and cuts and was off work for six weeks.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found it could have been prevented had the firm used suitable lifting equipment.
The firm admitted breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined £7,500 and ordered to pay costs of £5,000.
After the hearing, Chris Platt, managing director of the company, said: "He still works for us and is a valued member of staff.
"We have had an exemplary health and safety record in the past. However, in the light of the accident we will strengthen it further.
"We feel our safety standards are one of the strongest in our industry."
Edward Walker, HSE inspector, said: "This was an incident waiting to happen owing to a series of failures by United Milking Systems.
"The company failed to plan the work properly and to assess the risks associated with the task, such as manual handling or falling objects. As a consequence, they didn't take any steps to reduce the risks through providing appropriate equipment and training."
By James Pugh
