Devon waste firm to pay 46,389 after worker injury

A Devon waste company has been fined 33,000 and ordered to pay 13,389 in costs after a man was seriously injured by a reversing vehicle at a waste transfer station in Exeter.

On October 4 2012, Worker Marvon Van Rijk and four other pedestrian workers were sorting through recyclable material at Leeses Limiteds Kenbury Wood waste transfer station when employee Mr Van Rijk was hit by a reversing telehandler machine.

He suffered serious and life-threatening leg injuries, requiring immediate surgery and ongoing surgical treatment following the incident, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said.

Exeter Magistrates court heard this week (20 January) that Leeses Limited hired the telehandler in September 2012, but did not have it fitted with a reversing camera. According to HSE, this failure to ensure that the drivers direct field of vision was adequate seriously compromised safety.

This followed an almost identical incident at the same site in October 2011, which also led to Leases Limited being prosecuted, HSE said.

Leeses Limited a subsidiary of Devon Waste Management of 14 Oak Tree Place, Manaton Close, Matford Business Park, Exeter pleaded guilty to beaching Regulation 28(e) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. They were fined 33,000 and ordered to pay 13,389 in costs.

HSE

After the hearing, HSE inspector Simon Jones, said: Marvon Van Rijk was hit by the reversing telehandler while he was in the blind spot of the vehicle. Leases Limited failed to ensure that all vehicles on their sites had their blind spots eliminated and Mr Van Rijk suffered serious and life changing injuries as a result.

The telehandler, a large and powerful machine, was operating in close proximity to workers sorting through recycling waste. Despite having a known blind spot, the telehandler had to undertake numerous reversing manoeuvres and it was only a matter of time before it hit one of the workers.

Mr Jones added: The dangers of blind spots on reversing vehicles are well known within the waste and recycling industries. The easiest way to eliminate such blind spots is to install reversing CCTV which is easy and inexpensive to fit. It is regrettable that Leases Limited did not learn the lessons from an almost identical incident and subsequent prosecution by HSE at the same site just 20 months ago.

Steve Hadley, managing director of skip hire firm Leeses Limited, told letsrecycle.com: “Leeses take Health and Safety and the welfare at work of all our staff very seriously. This incident arose out of an individuals genuine mistake and despite procedures having been in place.

“Since the regrettable incident involving Mr. Von Rijk we have put in place additional processes and measures to ensure that accidents like this are avoided in the future.”