London waste firm fined after worker sustained ‘severe crush injuries’

According to the HSE’s statement, Grzegorz Poreba, 48, sustained severe injuries after becoming trapped between a conveyor and a metal bridge, which formed part of a waste sorting machine, at Riverside Road, Wimbledon, London on 11 September 2020.

Cappagh Public Works Limited, of Waterside Way, London, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act. 1974

The company was fined £260,000 and was ordered to pay £4,358 costs at a hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court on 20 October 2023.

Incident

The HSE said Mr Poreba had entered the machine to make repairs to the mesh of the hopper. It added that the machine “had not been isolated from all sources of energy before the repair work started and when it was inadvertently switched on, Grzegorz was thrown onto the conveyor, trapping him against a metal bridge”.

Mr Poreba suffered multiple injuries, that required 23 screws and two plates inside his body, and has not been able to return to work since, the HSE added.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Pippa Knott said: “The fine imposed should underline to everyone in the waste industry that the courts, and HSE, take a failure to ensure that maintenance work is completed safely extremely seriously.

“Grzegorz is lucky to be alive and the incident has left a lasting impression on him. We will not hesitate to take action against companies which do not do all that they should to keep people safe.”

The HSE’s announcement also included a statement from Mr Poreba. He said: “The whole accident has turned my life upside down. I cannot walk or stand for longer than an hour and a half.

“It has been very hard. If I could turn back time, I could only wish that the accident had never happened. The doctors have been trying to regain my physical and mental health. The only success so far is that I am not in a wheelchair.”

On its website, Cappagh said it was formed in 1960 and offers a diverse range of services including skip hire, recycled aggregates, demolition, highway services and utilities.