Bedfordshire metal company fined after a worker suffered severe leg injuries and lost most of his foot.

A Bedfordshire metal company has been £130,000 with costs of £2,456 after a worker suffered severe leg injuries and lost most of his foot when a trolley carrying metal stock fell on his legs.

HSE found that the metal trolleys had been used on site for some twenty years without incident. The trolleys had been purchased to be used as ‘workstations’, but employees had chosen to also use them to move metal stock around the site. There was no risk assessment or written system of work for these trolleys at the time of the accident. The trolley also had faulty wheels and there was no record of any maintenance. After the accident, the trolley was given a safe working load of 500kg; half the weight placed on the trolley at the time of the accident.