Concrete firm fined after steel pallet crushes worker’s legs

The incident happened four years ago at Amber Precast Ltd’s factory at Davy Business Park in Sheffield. Wayne Hatton, aged 46, was working a night shift after recently having joined the company as a supervisor.

Wayne Hatton spent seven weeks in hospital and had to have his right lower leg amputated. Photograph: HSE 

During the removal of a steel pallet from a reinforced concrete cast, the pallet fell on Mr Hatton’s legs. He spent seven weeks in hospital, where his right lower leg and two toes on his left foot were amputated.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that the pallet had not been secured onto the lifting chains of an overhead crane before being removed from the concrete cast, and that Amber Precast had failed to implement a safe system of work or instruct employees on how to remove the pallet safely.

“This incident could so easily have been avoided with the correct instruction and implementation of an agreed safe working procedure,” said HSE inspector Jane Fox. “Amber Precast Ltd left its employees to work out their own methods of completing the pallet removal task, instead of providing them with suitable training and equipment so it could be done safely every time.”

Amber Precast pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. It was fined £60,000 and ordered to pay costs of £5,406.31 at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on 9 January.