26 Nov 2015
Essex, UK – A UK court has fined an agricultural machinery supplier £750,000 (€1.06 million) after an incident which left a worker permanently blind in one eye.
The injured tire technician at Ernest Doe & Sons Ltd., at Ulting, near Maldon, was working with a colleague to re-fit and re-inflate tires for an agricultural vehicle when one tire exploded, causing severe injuries to his head and right side of the face.
The incident took place in December 2014.
The UK's health & safety body, Health and Safety Executive (HSE), investigated the incident and found that the company had failed to ensure that adequate instruction, training and supervision were provided to its tire technicians.
According to HSE, the company had also failed to identify and remedy unsafe working practices that had been allowed to become the norm at its Ulting tire depot.
On 19 Nov, Ernest Doe was fined £750,000, and ordered to pay HSE’s full prosecution costs of £9,155, after pleading guilty to an offence.
“While all tire technicians require suitable training, those inflating the large, higher-pressure tires fitted to many agricultural, commercial, and construction vehicles need to implement key additional precautions – such as using a suitable inflation cage or bag,” said HSE principle inspector Norman Macritchie.
(Image source: HSE website)
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