East Kilbride firm fined £433,333

An East Kilbride packaging firm has been fined £433,333 after a worker suffered a severe skull fracture and permanent injuries when a 4.5-ton machine fell on him. The accident happened whilst he was a member of a team relocating the machine using an improvised system involving lifting with a forklift, placing skates underneath, and pulling it forward.

Moving a machine of this size and weight was not a regular task at the site and there was no established system of work for it. An investigation by the HSE found that the lifting operation had not been properly planned by a competent person. The characteristics of the load, including its weight, size, centre of gravity and lifting points, had not been adequately assessed, and no safe system of work had been put in place.