• Company fined after accident leads to employee losing leg
• Investigation revealed failures in workplace safety and heavy materials training

A magistrates’ court on the Isle of Wight, UK, fined a company £200,000 (about US$240,000) after one of its employees had to have his lower leg amputated following an accident.

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The incident occurred in August 2023 when the employee was moving a trolley loaded with about 30 metal sheets, each weighing more than 20 kg, and the trolley toppled onto him.

Inspector Nicola Pinkney from the Health and Safety Executive said, “This young man will be affected by this accident for the rest of his life and will suffer the consequences of the company’s failures.”

The HSE investigation found that the work was not carried out safely, as the company failed to provide suitable trolleys, movement routes inside the factory were unclear, and training on safely handling heavy materials was inadequate.

The HSE also noted a similar incident in November 2021, but the risks associated with moving metal sheets were not properly assessed.

Pinkney added, “This is a very unfortunate case, as lessons were not learned from the previous incident. I hope this highlights the importance of seriously implementing workplace safety procedures, properly assessing all risks, and controlling them.”