A Nottinghamshire cold storage and fruit-ripening rental company has been fined £60,000 after a worker was trapped underneath a falling section of equipment.
Dawson Rentals Portable Cold Storage, in Huthwaite, was found to have carried out an inadequate risk assessment for a cold store dismantling procedure.
Temporary employee Kevin Rodgers, 37, suffered four broken metatarsals and was off work for a number of months.
He became trapped under an L-shaped section of cold store while dismantling other sections of the facility.
An investigation found that the company had provided inadequate training for workers carrying out this task, as well as insufficient supervision.
HSE inspector Stuart Pilkington, said: “The accident is a case of non-routine work not being properly planned and risk assessed.
“Mr Rodgers was lucky not to suffer far more serious injuries and the incident shows the importance of training temporary workers and ensuring they are properly supervised.”
A separate investigation into the company was conducted after several employees were reportedly suffering from Hand-arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS).
HAVS can develop from over-use of hand-held power tools and result in painful and disabling disorders of the blood vessels, nerves and joints.
Worker Paul Straw claims HAVS has made it very difficult to find other employment after the syndrome prevented him from continuing work at the cold storage firm.
He said: “I’d worked at Dawson Rentals Portable Cold Storage for around 18 years – it’s all I knew.
“I was told by letter that I had Hand-arm Vibration Syndrome – something I didn’t understand at the time. It didn’t sink in at first that it could stop me from doing the job I love.”
He added: “Being out of work and having to claim benefits has been very difficult. I used to play snooker and go fishing with my sons but I can no longer do that as I have lost confidence because of my condition.”
HSE’s investigation identified that workers at Dawson Rentals Portable Cold Storage were using power tools for significant periods of time.
It found that although the issue of HAVS had been raised in 2005, it was not until the ill health was identified in November 2011 that they introduced adequate controls, including monitoring and restricting the use of specific tools.
Pilkington said: “Hand-arm Vibration can have significant health impacts if workers’ use of power tools is not controlled correctly and the company have failed to protect their workers from a debilitating condition which they will have to deal with for the rest of their lives.”
The company pleaded guilty to breaching sections 2 and 3 of the Health and Safety at Work act 1974 and was fined £40,000 and ordered to pay £20,000 costs.
Dawson Rentals offers cold storage equipment, including fruit-ripening facilities, across Europe including the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium and the UK.
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