13 - Steel stockholder fined after worker’s injury

A Halesowen steel firm has been fined £6,000 after one of its employees fractured his foot when steel fell on him.

 

Harris Steels Ltd, based in Coombs Road, was also ordered to pay £4,000 costs by Halesowen Magistrates Court.

 

The court was told the company failed to ensure the safety of its employees on site.  

 

It was told that employee Paul Alcock was trapped by a bundle of steel, which fell from a rack on March 9, 2006. He suffered a fractured foot and had to be freed by a colleague.

  

Neelam Banqar, prosecuting for Dudley Council, told magistrates that the accident was almost inevitable.

 

He said the company failed to adequately control the risks associated with employees walking and climbing on steel stock for the purposes of slinging steel, and cutting banding to bundles of steel.

 

The company admitted breaching section 2(1) in respect of section 2(2)(a) of HSWA for failing to have safe systems of work in place for handling steel and Regulation 5(1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 for failing to properly plan and organise steel deliveries and the storage of steel.

In mitigation the company indicated it had since implemented safe systems of work at their premises.

 

Following the court hearing on March 3, Councillor Karen Shakespeare, cabinet member for the environment, said:

 

“Dudley’s environmental health officers will enforce legislation as necessary if firms don’t handle or store steel or other metal stock safely.

 

“Officers have already undertaken a steel stockholding safety and awareness day, which was very well attended and offered help and advice for such businesses to make sure a safer working environment is provided for everyone who works in steel stockholding and ensure the lessons learned prevent other accidents from occurring within the industry.”