Veolia prosecuted after employee falls from height

Waste and recycling firm fined after worker suffers life-changing injuries in fall from height

WASTE and recycling services company Veolia ES Staffordshire Ltd (part of the Veoila UK group) have been prosecuted after a worker suffered life-changing injuries when he fell from height at the company’s recycling centre in Wolverhampton on 2 May 2014.

The worker fell more than 8ft from the unprotected edge of a ‘grizzly conveyor’ at the firm’s site on Enterprise Drive whilst clearing items caught on the conveyor’s forks.

Veoila ES Staffordshire Ltd pleaded guilty at Stafford Magistrates court to breaching Regulation 6(3) of The Work at Height Regulations 2005 and Regulation 3(1) of The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and were fined a total of £16,600 and ordered to pay £1,773.15 in costs with a victim surcharge of £120.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Katherine Blunt said: ‘This incident was entirely preventable; clearing the conveyor in this way was a routine part of the job but no risk assessment had been carried out. If it had, it would have been obvious edge protection was essential.

‘The injured worker is still suffering from his injuries now and has only been able to return to work on limited duties.

‘Falls from height are the most common cause of serious injury and fatalities in the workplace. It’s imperative that risk assessments are carried out and suitable control measures are put in place to eliminate or reduce the risks.’