Company fined after untrained worker was injured

Employers are being warned to make sure staff are properly trained to use heavy workplace vehicles, after an Ascot company was fined thousands of pounds following a serious accident.

Ascot-based company Shorts Group Ltd was fined on Friday at Maidenhead Magistrates Court (pictured) following the incident on May 21, 2008 at a construction site in Bracknell Road, Warfield.

A demolition labourer was operating a skip-loading dumper on which he had received no formal training or instruction. The dumper overturned and the employee became trapped underneath it, suffering serious injuries to his foot.

Shorts Group Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1,772.80.

Karen Morris, an inspector for The Health and Safety Executive, said afterwards: "The company failed to provide this employee with suitable instruction, information and training and this was clearly a contributory factor to this incident.

"Site dumpers are involved in around a third of construction transport incidents, causing many deaths and serious injuries, particularly to drivers. Skip-loading dumpers in particular are known to be comparatively unstable machines and are known to overturn in certain circumstances.

"Given this, HSE has produced clear guidance on training and safe operation of site dumpers and we expect trained and competent operators at all times."