A man suffered horrific injuries after a fall from a grain bucket - 7th July 2010

An East Yorkshire farm company has been fined following a workplace accident in which a worker suffered ‘horrific’ injuries in a fall from height.

RJ Baker & Co Ltd of Bainton Heights Farm pleaded guilty to breaching the Work at Height Regulations 2005 at Bridlington Magistrates Court and was ordered to pay a £3,000 fine and £3,000 in costs.

It follows the accident in May 2008 when a long-standing employee had been raised in a grain bucket by a telehandler when trying to clear guttering. A colleague who was operating the telehandler accidentally tilted the bucket downwards and the worker fell three metres onto concrete. He suffered a broken ankle, broken shin and a partially fractured heel, spending a month in hospital.

The HSE said that the guardrail fitted to the front of the bucket was ‘effectively useless’ and together with the telehandler it should never have been used as a lifting platform. Carol Downes, HSE Inspector said: “HSE strongly warns farmers and others against using telehandlers in this way. They, or attachments like grain buckets, are not designed to lift people, and in misusing the equipment employers are risking death or serious injury.”

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/localnews/3000-fine-for-horror-injuries.6400888.jp

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