David Vinsome, 37, sustained multiple rib fractures and internal injuries, including an abdominal wall burst, as a result of the accident at Pallion Shipyard on 18 October 2022.
Welders had been using an overhead gantry crane and a forklift truck in tandem to rotate a large excavator bucket.
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Vinsome was crushed as he attempted to attach the chains from the overhead crane to the bucket, and a forklift truck started the lifting operation, unaware he was behind it.
In his victim statement, the father-of-one from North Shields recalled how he spent nine days in hospital before returning home.
“When I did come home, I was in bed for about a month before I tried to get down the stairs,” he said. “I am worried about getting back to work. I don’t know when that will be or how I will manage.
“I don’t think I will go back to welding.”
The HSE investigation found Midland Steel Traders Ltd had failed to ensure that the lifting activity was properly planned by a competent person, or carried out safely.
It also failed to establish a safe system of work for this activity, leading to a breakdown of communication between the multiple operators involved.
Midland Steel Traders Ltd, Portobello Ind Est, Shadon Way, Chester le Street, pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
The company was fined £100,000 and ordered to pay £4,916 costs at Newcastle Magistrates Court on 13 February 2025.
