A UK company has been fined after an employee’s leg was amputated following a serious incident at its processing facility in Huntingdon.
A 60-year-old man was injured while helping to manually unload cargo from a delivery trailer in 2023.
Cargo had become stuck on the trailer and the man, along with two colleagues, attempted to free it. Once the cargo was freed, a skid slid from the trailer onto the roller deck and struck his left leg, which had become trapped in a gap.
A HSE investigation found that the business failed to ensure employees were safe when unloading aircraft skids from delivery vehicles in the intake area.
Workers exposed to risk from moving loads and the investigation also identified a 10cm gap in the roller deck that had not been recognised or addressed.
Following an investigation, the company has pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and has been fined £134,000 and ordered to pay £4,908 in costs.
Best practice for reducing risk
Businesses must ensure that everyday work activities have been properly assessed and that measures are taken to establish and maintain safe practices.
HSE guidance states that employers must put in place suitable arrangements to manage health and safety, including designing effective risk control systems and ensuring safe systems of work are followed in practice. You can view the HSE’s guidance on managing for health and safety, here.
To read the full HSE report on this incident, click here.