Somerset firm John Wainwright & Co has been fined £10,000 following a worker’s catastrophic foot injury that resulted in his lower leg being amputated.
Taunton Magistrates Court heard that Alan Seviour, who worked for the company as a delivery driver, was carrying out some relief road work on the day of the incident. As he cleared material from the front of the surface paving machine, his foot became trapped and crushed between a speed bump and a bar at the front of the machine.
The damage to Mr Seviour’s right foot was so severe that he had to have his lower leg amputated.
John Wainwright & Co Ltd of Moons Hill Quarry, Mendip Road, Stoke St Michael, Radstock, pleaded guilty to breaching Health and Safety at Work laws. The construction firm was fined and ordered to pay £8,015 in costs.
HSE inspector, Annette Walker said:
"Although the surface paver is a slow-moving machine, it is not safe for anyone to work in front of it while it is in motion as it can be noisy, making communication difficult.
"Mr Seviour suffered life-changing injuries because the machine was in motion and the driver had limited forward visibility because of the way the machine was designed. In fact the driver did not know Mr Seviour was trapped until he was told to reverse off him.
"Mr Seviour has been able to return to work now that the company has provided him with a suitable vehicle. However, it all could have been avoided if John Wainwright & Co had put the right systems in place to ensure the safety of all people working with or near this machine."