Waste firm prosecuted

FOCSA Services (UK) Ltd, which has its headquarters in Rochdale, has been fined £10,000 and ordered to pay costs of £4,277 at Calderdale Magistrates' Court, after pleading guilty to breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

The Health and Safety Executive took FOCSA Services (UK) Ltd to court following an incident in September 2006 at Atlas Mill Household Recycling Site in Brighouse, which was managed by FOCSA, in which a 54-year-old worker was knocked down and run over by a telehandler, suffering internal injuries and staying in hospital for three months.

He suffered severe internal injuries and was hospitalised for three months.

Health and Safety Inspector Kate Dixon said: "This was a tragic and entirely avoidable incident, from which the worker was lucky to escape with his life.

“The employer failed to ensure that proper measures were taken to protect the worker and the consequences of that will affect him permanently.

“The employer failed to provide a system of work that adequately controlled the risks arising from the movement of vehicles on the site.

“The dangerous parts of the site were not adequately fenced off or secured and site rules were not enforced. This also meant that members of the public were also put at risk.”

Date article online: 26/03/2008