HSE | Fitzpatrick Fabrications Ltd, a sheet metal fabrication company in Lancashire, has been fined £48,000 after an employee lost part of his right thumb and suffered a crush injury to his hand during a manual handling task.
On 24 October 2024, at around 11:30am, Mr Todd Marshall, a welder/fabricator, was working at the Fitzpatrick Fabrications factory at Malvern Mill, Nelson. The job involved welding and fabricating large pieces of stainless steel to form a finished hopper.
The hopper consisted of five component parts, which needed to be welded together. When each side of the hopper was welded, it needed to be lifted and repositioned so the next side could be welded.
Mr Marshall was carrying out this task on his own, holding the larger side of the 133kg hopper in the air while the smaller side rested on a desk. The hopper slipped on the smooth desk and came down onto his hand, causing a crush injury and partial loss of his right thumb.
The HSE’s investigation found that the company had not conducted a risk assessment for the task and no safe system of work was in place. As a result, workers had not been given clear instructions on how to perform the task safely.
Upon further investigation, HSE found that a near-identical incident had occurred in the days leading up to this one.
In a statement, Mr Marshall said: “Things I used to do without thinking are now hard for me. I need two hands to do something as simple as pick up small things. I struggle fastening buttons or zips. I was an amateur boxer before my injury. Boxing was my whole life. It wasn’t just a pastime or hobby. I think I could have gone further with it, but now I’ll never know.”
Fitzpatrick Fabrications Ltd, of Malvern Mill, Waterford Street, Nelson, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992. The company was fined £48,000 and ordered to pay £10,089 in costs.
HSE Inspector Derek McLauchlan said: “This was a wholly preventable incident which has had a profound and long-lasting impact on Todd Marshall’s life, made more shocking by the fact a near-identical incident had taken place just days before.
“Businesses should always give thought to the safest way to undertake manual handling operations; this means carrying out a robust assessment of the risks, and considering tools such as the Manual Handling Assessment Chart (MAC Tool) to help plan the task.
“The company failed in its duty to properly plan this task, and the fine imposed should serve as a clear reminder to everyone that HSE will hold to account those who fail to keep their workers safe.”
This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Tom Ledden-Rocks and paralegal officer Stephen Grabe.
