A CRADLEY Heath timber firm has been ordered to pay out £730,000 for exposing workers to the “risk of harm on a daily basis” after two men were injured when they were hit by a truck.
One of the workers at Palmer Timber was left with serious injuries including a fractured eye socket, he needed his ear re-attaching while he also suffered a broken collar bone and had to have a series of skin grafts.
A second man sustained a broken ankle as he "managed to avoid a far more serious injury" when they were hit by the combi lift as they were loading a lorry at the firm's Granville Works site, in Station Road.
Judge Barry Berlin, hitting the company hard in the pocket, gave them four years to pay the fine and said: “It is inevitable when operating in such an environment that errors will be made.”
He said the primary cause of the accident was the failure by the company to organise its workplace so pedestrians and vehicles could circulate safely.
“The company fell far short of the good standards to ensure safety,” he added. “There were serious and systematic failures within the company to address risks to safety.”
The judge said the firm – who employ 90 workers on the site – should have better organised the arrangements for segregating pedestrians and vehicles.
Palmer Timber admitted failing to ensure the safety of workers after the two men who had both been wearing high visibility jackets were injured in the incident in February 2015.
Wolverhampton Crown Court was told that a worker behind the wheel of the combi lift had not seen the two men due to a “massive blind spot”.
The judge was told that at the time of the accident there were six to seven lorries, forklift trucks and staff working in the same area.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here