HSE | A company providing clinical waste management services has been fined after an 18-year-old employee sustained serious injuries while loading a bin conveyor.
The young man was working for SRCL Limited at its site in Oldham on 21 November 2024, when his foot slipped into an unguarded conveyor channel. He sustained several serious fractures to his right leg.
The HSE’s investigation found that the company had failed to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment and failed to provide suitable guarding on the bin conveyor.
SRCL Limited, of Indigo House, Sussex Avenue, Leeds, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £300,150, a victim surcharge of £2,000 and ordered to pay £3,931.85 in costs.
HSE Inspector Sam Eves, said: “A young man at the beginning of his working life was failed by this company.
“This incident could have so easily been avoided by properly assessing the risks and applying the correct control measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery.
“Companies should know that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”
This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE Enforcement Lawyer Gemma Zakrzewski and supported by Paralegal Officer Stephen Grabe.
