Firm fined after man's legs crushed by concrete

A vehicle maintenance firm has been fined after a worker suffered "devastating and life-changing injuries" when his legs were crushed by a one-tonne concrete block.

The father-of-two, 35, was then sacked from his job at Redditch's BA Mobile Fleet Services Limited, after the stack of blocks fell on his legs as a forklift truck was used to load them into an HGV box trailer, in December 2023.

His left foot and lower leg both had to be amputated, said the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which also confirmed the forklift driver was untrained.

At Kidderminster Magistrates' Court, the firm pleaded guilty and was fined £30,000, the HSE said.

The worker, who was 33 at the time, also suffered serious injuries to his right leg.

At the hearing on Wednesday, the Tanworth Lane company pleaded guilty to breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act and was also ordered to pay £4,325 costs.

The victim was inside the box trailer with a colleague while the third worker in the forklift truck loaded it with the concrete blocks, to prepare the lorry for a Driver Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) brake test.

One of the stacks of blocks had toppled onto his legs when they were "nudged" by the truck, said the HSE.

Its investigators found the firm had failed to take appropriate precautions to segregate workers from moving vehicles on site.

"The investigation also identified that the company had not provided training to the forklift truck driver and they had not authorised him to operate such vehicles," the regulator added.

HSE inspector Emma Page said: "The injuries sustained here by this young man have been truly life-changing.

"Too many people are injured or killed every year in workplace transport-related incidents.

"Companies should do all they can to ensure all workers go home safely to their families at the end of each day. We will take action against those who fail to do so."

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