The company, which pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act, was sentenced at Airdrie Sheriff Court yesterday (December 2) following the incident at Bargeddie MRF on September 24 2012.
The court heard how Declan Shipcott, 20, of Alexandria, had been helping two colleagues clear a blockage on a baler machine.
The machine was equipped with a wire tie mechanism to bind bales of waste materials – and the blockage was preventing the strapping wire from wrapping around one of the bales.
Tension
After 30 minutes they had been unable to clear the blockage and so cut the wire. The remaining wire was located within a ‘recoil’ box, which had a button to release any tension.
Upon opening the box, Mr Shipcott found the wire was knotted and used wire cutters to cut it free. At that point, a piece of wire flicked out and struck him on the face and left eye.
Mr Shipcott had not been wearing any eye protection at the time and was rushed to hospital to undergo emergency surgery to repair a cut to his left cornea.
Despite undergoing further surgery the following month to remove the damaged lens and re-attach his retina, the operations were only partially successful and Mr Shipcott was left blind in the eye. He has been told his vision will not improve due to the extent of the damage.
Investigation
An investigation launched by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that a risk assessment in place for replacing wire in the machine did not refer to cutting the wire, although the fact that cutters were available at the machine acknowledged that sometimes the wire had to be cut.
The court heard there was no safe system of work for those involved in cutting high tensile wire and that the company had also failed to distribute and ensure the use of personal protective equipment, such as safety glasses.
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Viridor Enviroscot reviewed its risk assessments following the incident and employees now wear a full face visor when working at the baler.
Following the case, HSE inspector Aileen Jardine said: “This incident could have easily been avoided if Viridor Enviroscot Ltd had carried out a risk assessment for the task, which would have identified the safety measures required to reduce any risks.
“The simple act of donning eye protection before working with high tensile wire may well have prevented this incident taking place. Instead, his employer’s failings led to an incident which has had real life changing consequences for this young man.”
‘Vigilance’
Speaking after the hearing yesterday, Mark Burrows-Smith, chief operating officer, recycling and resources at Viridor, confirmed that Mr Shipcott had been able to return to work following the inicident – and highlighted the need for ‘vigilance’ in the workplace.
Mr Burrows-Smith said: “Viridor takes the health, safety and wellbeing of our employees very seriously indeed. We invest heavily in creating safe working environments at all sites across the UK, including at our Bargeddie materials recycling facility. As such, we are deeply disappointed that we failed to meet our own high standards on this occasion.
“Viridor has accepted full liability for the matter involving a colleague seeking to assist others in freeing wire at a baler station. We immediately remedied the situation, provided full health, employment and financial support to our colleague and, importantly, shared the learnings from this incident throughout the business and wider sector.
“Whilst we are pleased our colleague has been able to return to work, incidents such as this demonstrate the need for continued vigilance and rigid adherence to the importance of returning colleagues home safely to their families each and every evening.”
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