Worker paralysed after being crushed by steel beam

Categories: General Health and Safety |


Worker paralysed after being crushed by steel beam A housing developer in Doncaster has been fined £30,000 after a worker was left paralysed from the chest down when he was crushed by a steel beam weighing more than 660 pounds.

The 24-year-old was working as part of a bricklaying team when the incident occurred.

He was helping a driver of a telescopic forklift truck to lift the steel beam onto two brick pillars.

Although the beam initially landed as intended, as the forklift was withdrawing, the forks caught the beam, dislodging it from the pillars.

The young man walked into the area as this happened, and the beam crashed down on top of him.

He suffered extensive injuries, including spinal damage, which resulted in him being left quadriplegic.

The housing developer pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 8 of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 and was fined £30,000 and ordered to pay £16,062 in costs.

Health and Safety Executive inspector Alasdair Green warned: "Today's prosecution must serve to remind all employers of their duties and responsibilities in protecting workers during lifting operations so that others do not suffer in this way."

To minimise the risk of serious injury, Britons are advised to use appropriate workwear.ADNFCR-1200-ID-800045839-ADNFCR

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