A West Midlands recycling firm has been fined £160,000 for failing to establish a safe way to stack bales after one of its workers was crushed by 400kg of cardboard.
Arrow Recycling, which has an O-licence authorising up to three vehicles and one trailer, pleaded guilty to breaching the Work at Height Regulations (2005) at Wolverhampton Magistrates Court in March.
The court heard how Parvez Ahmed, 49, suffered a cracked skull and a brain haemorrhage last year after being crushed under falling stacks of cardboard. He was placed in a coma for 10 days in hospital.
An investigation by the HSE found the firm had failed to establish a safe way to stack the bales at the Smethwick recycling site.
HSE Inspector Mahesh Mahey said: “This incident highlights the need for employers to devise and implement safe systems of work in relation to the storage of baled materials.”
In addition to its £160,000 fine Arrow Recycling was ordered to pay costs of £2,917.
By David Harris
