Company Fined Over Safety Failings

A farming company in Fife has been fined £20,000 after a worker had to have two toes amputated following an incident involving machinery.

Peter Ednie’s right foot became caught in the unsheathed part of a screw auger while trying to empty rainwater from the grain reception pit at the premises of R Todd & Company at the start of September 2009.

An investigation revealed that no risk assessment was undertaken on the grain reception pit, and while the screw auger was switched off the power had not been isolated when the worker entered the area. The power was then mistakenly reactivated.

As well as losing two toes, Mr Ednie has been left with a limp and no feeling in another toe as a result of the work accident.

David Bell, a workplace injury specialist at Irwin Mitchell’s Glasgow office, said: “Risk assessments are a fundamental aspect of health and safety, and an issue that employers simply should not ignore the importance of.

“We act in a number of cases when a failure to fully assess risks in the workplace has had serious consequences, often leaving workers with serious injuries that they never fully recover from.

“The farming industry is a particularly dangerous area to work in and it is fundamental that companies in this sector do everything they can to ensure all of their employees are able to go home safe from harm at the end of a working day.”

Our serious injury claims team could help you claim compensation if you have suffered a similar foot injury or an injury at work that resulted in the amputation of a limb. Visit our Amputation Claims page or Accident at Work Claims page for more information.