Dairy firm fined after worker falls in pit
Commercial insurance
16th March 2009
The importance of acquiring business insurance and implementing safe systems of work has been highlighted by the prosecution of a company following an accident in which an employee was badly injured.
Surrey-based Dairy Crest was fined £18,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,675 after admitting to breaching health and safety regulations.
The case followed an accident in 2007 when dairy worker John Webberley fell six feet into a milk by-product effluent pit as the result of an ill-fitting metal grating that was meant to cover it.
Mr Webberley sustained injuries to his groin and later required surgery.
David Kivlin, a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector, said Dairy Crest had failed to carry out a suitable risk assessment on the procedure for emptying the pit.
"Employers should remember that falls remain one of the biggest killers of workers and in most cases the precautions needed are simple," he commented.
According to the HSE, thousands of people are the victims of serious injuries every year due to trips and falls in the workplace.
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