Waste and recycling company prosecuted over worker incident

A County Durham waste and recycling firm has been fined £3,350 following an incident which left a worker with an accident injury.

First Skips, of Shotton Colliery, was prosecuted at Peterlee Magistrates' Court and has also been ordered to pay £3,528.70 in costs.

These penalties were administered after the firm pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 following an incident in October 2009.

During this month, a 25-year-old worker from Blackhall was left with serious injuries when a vehicle reversed into him at one of First Skips' sorting sheds.

The accident caused the man, who has asked to remain anonymous, to suffer a broken shoulder, a cracked rib and two fractured toe bones. He has since recovered following several months off work.

Health and Safety Executive inspector Victoria Wise noted: "Workplace transport can pose a significant risk of substantial harm if it isn't properly controlled, and the general safety measures that can be implemented are well known in the industry."

Recently, Moughton Engineering, of Faraday Road in Great Yarmouth, was prosecuted after an apprentice based at the company suffered chemical burns.

Published by Lee Dover