Boss of firm fined £30,000 over worker's accident says it will kill his business

.7Skip hire and waste processing company, J Edwards Waste Management Ltd in Thurnscoe, was sentenced last Friday for safety breaches after a worker was injured trying to clear a blockage.

Managing director John Edwards blasted the HSE’s three-year investigation and said the incident had been “blown out of proportion” and that the employee involved hadn’t followed safety procedures.

Sheffield Magistrates’ Court heard how, on March 24, 2015, the drum of the trommel machine used for sorting material had become jammed and a worker had not turned off the machine before going into the drum to clear the blockage.

An investigation by the HSE found that after the unnamed worker had entered the drum of the machine and cleared the blockage, the machine started operating and rotated with him still inside. 

He was tumbled around and struck by the waste material inside the drum before the machine was stopped.

The company, based on Lidget Lane Industrial Estate, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined £30,000 with £3,621 costs.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Laura Hunter said this case highlighted “the importance of isolating machinery before intervening”.

She added: “This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply having a safe system of work for clearing blockages after completing a risk assessment.”

Mr Edwards (68), said the incident had been “blown out of proportion”, adding: “Seventeen staff members are losing their jobs because of the size of the fine and we can’t carry on.

“The lad involved got a few cuts and bruises and was back at work the next day.”

The managing director, who opened the company 12 years ago, said he had made the HSE aware of the incident because he did “everything above board”.

Mr Edwards said that on the day of the accident the employee had not followed correct safety procedures that were in place and that “he had been following for seven months” because “he wasn’t thinking”.

He added: “We didn’t think it would go to court \_- then three-and-a-half years later it lands on our desk at a very tough time for the company.”

Mr Edwards said over the years he had been hit with hundreds of pounds of costs from the HSE investigation, such as £135 an hour for contacting a witness.

“They just used to constantly come through,” he said. “I would describe it as an organisation that’s self-funded and designed to lift money off businesses.”

Mr Edwards said that, after taking legal advice, the company had pleaded guilty in court but been shocked at the size of the fine, which will mean all staff members will be made redundant within eight weeks.

“The company will close because of this fine, he said.“We were struggling before it, but managing to keep our heads above water, but this is the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

He added: “I’m not bothered about myself, I can get a living doing lots of things. Basically, the public purse will pick this up as it’s a high unemployment area.”