Firm fined £200k after warehouse worker crushed by 700kg crate
manchestereveningnews.co.ukA firm has been fined £200,000 after a warehouse worker was crushed by a 700kg crate. The 29-year suffered two broken ribs, a punctured lung and a fractured vertebra in the accident at PSV Glass and Glazing Limited in Middleton.
The man was injured as he moved the crate of glass with the help of a workmate on June 16, 2021. They placed the crate on the top of a set of skates intending to push it across the warehouse at Stakehill Industrial Estate. READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community But the crate became unbalanced and fell, trapping the worker underneath and badly injuring him.
Six screws and a plate were later inserted to fix his vertebra. A Health and Safety Executive investigation found PSV Glass and Glazing Limited's method of moving crates in the warehouse was hazardous.
When a crate was balanced on the skates it became unstable, increasing the risk of it tipping. The company also had no suitable risk assessment despite a previous similar incident, the HSE found.
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