Firms fined after 44-tonne machine nearly causes traffic accidentRSS Feed

An accident at work that could easily have led to a disastrous traffic accident has seen two construction companies fined.

Balfour Beatty Ground Engineering and Multibuild were fined £25,000 and £20,000 respectively after pleading guilty to breaching health and safety regulations when a 44-tonne machine crashed into a busy main road in Hull.

The piling machine fell over and rolled across the road during the evening rush hour, Hull Crown Court was told.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector Dave Redman described the incident as a "miracle", after no one was killed or seriously injured in the accident.

"There is extensive guidance governing safe working in this sector, and we hope today's prosecution serves to remind people of their duties so that we don't witness an incident of this kind again," he added.

The news comes as the HSE is launching a drive to promote safety on construction sites, warning that children should not be playing on them.

Accident claims advice from Serious Law

Posted by M E Dixon
 

Firm fined after man loses fingertip in accident at work

07 February 2012

An accident at work that saw an employee's fingertip cut off by a circular saw has resulted in a firm being fined £10,000.Eaton Williams Group, trading as Colman Moducel, was prosecuted by the...

Read More...

Man suffers broken bone after arm pierced by steel rods

06 February 2012

The Health and Safety Executive has prosecuted a company after an employee suffered a broken right arm during an accident at work.Machine operator Steven Rowe had his arm impaled by two steel bars when...

Read More...

New employees 'most at risk of accident at work'

03 February 2012

New and inexperienced individuals are the most likely to experience an accident at work, firms have been warned.Speaking at the RenewableUK Health and Safety 2012 conference in Manchester, chair of the...

Read More...