A West Yorkshire operator has been fined more than £74,000 after a worker was crushed by a road roller.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which prosecuted Quantum Exhibitions & Displays, said the company had failed to prevent vehicles from approaching the edge of the embankment at its site, which could cause them to overturn.
In November 2015 a worker sustained several injuries when the 3-tonne vibrating road roller he was using slid down a steep incline at the firm’s site on Brow Mills Industrial Estate in Hipperholme.
The worker was pinned beneath the roller and suffered breaks to his right leg, burns to his right hand and an open fracture of his right index finger.
The exhibitions company, which has an O-licence for two vehicles and two trailers, pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. It was fined £70,000 and £4,139.50 costs at Bradford Crown Court on 22 July.
HSE inspector Jacqueline Ferguson said after the hearing: “There was no vehicle restraint or edge protection system in place to prevent vehicles from approaching the unstable edge of the embankment with the foreseeable risk of the vehicle overturning. This was a serious accident that could have proved fatal.
“Companies should be aware that the HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate action against companies that fall below the required standards.”
