East Midlands Incident Leads To Company Fine

The case of a man who suffered serious injuries in a work accident in the East Midlands highlights the need for health and safety to be a priority, an accident at work claims specialist at Irwin Mitchell has warned.

Van Elle Ltd has been fined £12,750 and ordered to pay costs in relation to the incident on the M1 in September 2009, when a maintenance fitter was driving an excavator during widening work between junctions 25 and 28.

The boom of the vehicle hit a bridge and, as the worker was not wearing a seatbelt, he was thrown over the steering column and through an open front screen, striking his head on the excavator blade. He was left with head injuries and was in a coma for a fortnight, while he continues to receive treatment more than two years on.

An investigation revealed that the driver was not properly trained to use the excavator and was standing in for a regular driver.

David Urpeth, national head of workplace injuries at Irwin Mitchell, acts for victims of work accidents and helps them to secure funds which ensure they can get the care and rehabilitation they need to recover from serious injuries.

He said: “This is yet another case where we have seen a worker left with serious injuries which continue to impact on his day-to-day life as a result of a preventable accident at work.

“Making sure workers are adequately trained for the tasks they are asked to undertake is a fundamental part of keeping workers safe and all businesses must bear this in mind.

“Risks should be carefully considered by employers with a view to keeping their staff well protected.”