A groundworks company has been fined £55,440 after an employee was struck by a metal bow shackle that was catapulted by a sling during work to lay a sewer pipe.
Luton Magistrates’ Court heard that on 19 July 2018, the machine cab operator was laying a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) foul sewer pipe weighing 20 tonnes with three other plant operators who were positioned along a 240m trench to lift and drag the pipe. One of the slings being used to pull the pipe failed catastrophically causing a bow shackle linkage to be catapulted back towards the machine cab operator. The employee was hit in the leg by the solid metal shackle, which weighed 7.5kg causing multiple fractures that needed extensive surgery.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company had failed to ensure that the operation was safely planned and carried out, with appropriate supervision in place.
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