HSE | A spring and stampings manufacturing company has been fined £40,000 after an employee fractured twelve ribs during a lifting operation in Worcestershire.
The 36-year-old employee suffered multiple rib fractures while working at Micro Spring and Presswork Company Limited when the incident occurred on 24 June 2024.
He had been assisting with the lifting of a newly purchased pillar drill using a forklift truck at the company’s site on Enfield Industrial Estate, Redditch.
The pillar drill, which weighed approximately 500kg, became unstable during the operation and fell, striking the employee and causing serious injuries.
The HSE’s investigation found that Micro Spring and Presswork Company Limited had failed to undertake a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks associated with the lifting operation.
The investigation also found that the company had failed to ensure the lifting operation was properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised and carried out in a safe manner.
Micro Spring and Presswork Company Limited, of Enfield Industrial Estate, Redditch, Worcestershire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £40,000 and ordered to pay £5,032 in costs.
HSE inspector Charlie Rowe said: “This was a serious incident which has resulted in significant injury and was entirely preventable.
“Employers should always ensure lifting operations are properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised, and carried out in a safe manner. This firm’s failure to do so has had dramatic consequences.
“HSE has produced a wealth of guidance to assist employers in keeping people safe, but where companies fall short we will not hesitate to take action.”
The prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Julian White and supported by paralegal officer Farhat Basir.
