Construction company sentenced after worker's foot amputated

Date:

23 June 2010

Release No:

803/W/10

A construction worker needed his foot to be amputated after it became trapped by a metal sheet being driven into the ground at an excavation site in Barry.

Barry Magistrates' Court today heard details of the horrific incident as his employers, Morgan Est plc were prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for failings leading to the injury.

Clive Morgan, 46, from Gilfach Goch, Rhondda, was installing interlocking metal sheets, known as piles, into the ground to prevent the collapse of an excavation for an underground pumping station at Barry Ponds.

Mr Morgan was standing on a horizontal beam in place to guide the pile into position, when his foot became trapped between the sheet and the beam, injuring his left foot so seriously he later had it amputated.

The company, of Kent House, 14-17 Market Place, London, pleaded guilty to a charge under Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The construction firm have been fined £12,000 with costs of £11,213.

The incident happened in February 2008 and the HSE investigation demonstrated that the work Mr Morgan was involved in was not being carried out in a safe manner, in that no-one should be standing close to a metal pile as it is being lowered into position.

HSE Inspector Steve Richardson said: "The horrific injuries sustained by Mr Morgan in this case demonstrate the need for employers to have safe systems of working in place on site.

"This installation is fairly routine in the construction industry and there are plenty of examples of good practice this company should have followed.

"Since the incident, the company have revised their procedures for installing piles and provided dedicated training for their operatives. This was too late for Mr Morgan, who remains unable to work and is still undergoing treatment."

In March 2010 Morgan Est plc pleaded guilty to safety breaches resulting in a man's arm being torn off at a water treatment plant in Huddersfield in March 2008. The firm was fined £6,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,163.

Notes to editors

1. The Health and Safety Executive is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice; promoting training; new or revised regulations and codes of practice; and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement. www.hse.gov.uk
2. Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work ect Act 1974 states: "It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees."
3. HSE wants to raise awareness of construction site risks to prevent deaths and injuries in the future. Construction is one of Britain's most dangerous industries.
4. The company was also ordered by the court to pay £5,000 criminal compensation to Mr Morgan.

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Issued on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive by COI News and PR Wales