A skip hire company has been fined after an employee sustained crush injuries to his arm.
An employee of Bateman Skips Ltd was asked to repair a conveyor belt feeding the picking station on 30 May 2018, Bristol Magistrates’ Court heard was told. He was injured when his arm was drawn into the mechanism while realigning the belt. The employee was rescued by the Fire & Rescue Service.
The HSE’s investigation found that Bateman Skips Ltd failed to ensure that the workforce had adequate training and suitable safeguards for dealing with blockages and adjusting the equipment.
Bateman Skips Ltd of Broadmead Lane, Keynsham, Bristol, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974.
The company was fined £50,000 and ordered to pay costs of £10,205.80.
After the hearing, HSE Inspector Berenice Ray said: “Those in control of work have a duty to assess the risks and devise safe working methods to provide the necessary information, instruction, and training to their workforce.
“Employers must ensure that the power source of machinery such as this is isolated and physically locked off whenever the guards are removed.”
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