A recycling company has received a fine after one of their workers was injured when they were removing an obstruction in a waste metal chute.
Shrewsbury Crown Court heard how, on 9 October 2017, an employee of PG Skips Limited was injured after falling through a chute, estimated to be four metres above a concrete yard, when they were removing an obstruction in the chute. Another worker, who was on standby in a telescopic handler to collect the waste metal in the machine bucket, watched him fall and manoeuvred the machine in an attempt to catch him. The worker was struck by the bucket and suffered injuries including several broken bones.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) discovered that there was no risk assessment or safe system of work established for removing obstructions from the waste metal chute. The company had not considered the risk of workers falling through the chute from that height.
PG Skips Limited of The Lowe, Wem, Shropshire were found guilty of breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at work Act 1974 and were fined £17,500.