On 10 August 2020, an employee of CF Booth Limited was walking across the site yard in Rotherham when he was struck by a moving 32-tonne skip wagon.
The man was not wearing his hi-vis jacket and didn’t see the wagon approaching. The driver said he didn’t see the employee due to “concentrating on manoeuvring the vehicle around some low-level skips, placed on the corner near where the employee was crossing.
Fractures
As a result of the incident, the man sustained a fractured skull, as well as his collarbone in two places, but has since made a full recovery.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that the site was “not organised in a way that pedestrians and vehicles could circulate in a safe manner”.
HSE found that the incident could have been prevented by “adequately assessing the risks and implementing appropriate control measures, such as physical barriers and crossing points”.
At Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on 25 April, CF Booth Limited of Clarence Metal Works, Armer St, Rotherham, pleaded guilty of breaching Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. It was fined £1.2million and ordered to pay costs of £5,694.85.
HSE inspector, Kirstie Durrans, said: “If CF Booth Limited had assessed the risks and ensured vehicles and pedestrians could circulate in a safe manner, this incident could have easily been avoided.
“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”
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