Company fined after a mans foot was crushed leading to amputation

A construction firm has been fined following a workplace accident which led to a man’s lower leg being amputated.

John Wainwright & Co Ltd was fined £10,000 after pleading guilty to breaching sections 2 (1) and 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The accident occurred in August 2008 when Alan Seviour was carrying out relief road work for the company. He was clearing material from the front of a paving machine when his foot was crushed between a speed bump and a bar at the front of a paver.

Health and Safety Executive Inspector Annette Walker said after the hearing at Taunton Magistrates Court: “Although the surface paver is a slow-moving machine, it is not safe for anyone to work in front of it while it is in motion as it can be noisy, making communication difficult. Mr Seviour suffered life-changing injuries because the machine was in motion and the driver had limited forward visibility because of the way the machine was designed.”

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