Firm fined £20,000 over accidentA construction company has been fined £20,000 for the overturning of a mobile elevating work platform which led to a worker suffering serious injuries.
York-based Shepherd Construction Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act on the Trinity Square construction site in central Nottingham.
A contractor on the site drove a cherry picker over a concealed manhole cover, Nottingham Magistrates' Court heard. The cherry picker toppled over when the cover gave way under the machine's weight. The driver suffered serious injuries to his skull, back and legs in the incident on 30 August 2007.
The Health and Safety Exuecutive (HSE) also said the incident put the public at risk as the arm of the machine landed in busy area that only seconds before had been occupied by pedestrians and vehicles. The firm, of Jockey Lane, Huntington, York, was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £6,900 costs.
HSE Inspector Martin Giles said: "Operators of mobile elevating work platforms, such as scissor lifts and cherry pickers, must be warned about man hole covers and underground services because there is a real risk of them collapsing and heavy vehicles toppling over."
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