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JCB fined £25k for assembly worker’s injury

15 Jan 15 JC Bamford Excavators Ltd has been fined £25,000 after a worker was seriously injured in one of its factories.

A JCB telehandler
A JCB telehandler

Roger Pearce, 56, was working on the assembly of a telehandler at the firm’s Lakeside works in Rocester, Staffordshire. He was installing the vehicle’s offside light and mirror arm when the incident happened on 3rd June 2013.

Staffordshire Magistrates’ Court heard yesterday (14th January) how Mr Pearce had to crouch down to do the work but he then could not be seen by a colleague who was simultaneously testing the steering. Mr Pearce was crushed between a wheel and the bodywork.

He fractured ten ribs, damaged the bones at the base of his spine, and injured his bladder and kidney. He was in hospital for 10 days and remains unable to return to work.

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A Health & Safety Executive (HSE) investigation identified that, at the time of the incident, there was a designated area of the assembly track where hydraulic fluids were pumped into the machine and steering and other systems operated to force the fluids through the system. HSE found that the assembly sequence was changed, which led to the fitting of the front offside light and mirror arm being moved from a point when the hydraulics were not live, to a point when the hydraulics were live and functions such as steering were tested.

JC Bamford Excavators Ltd, of Lakeside Works, Denstone Road, Rocester pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and Regulation 3(1)(b) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. On top of the £25,000 fine, the company was ordered to pay £1,390 in costs.

HSE inspector David Brassington said after the hearing: “JCB had allowed the introduction of a serious hazard and failed to assess the risk from this change.”

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MPU
MPU

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