An 800kg load crushed Wayne Hatton’s legs during a night shift at Amber Precast Ltd’s factory on 14th January 2021.
Mr Hatton, from Doncaster, had his right leg amputated below the knee following the incident at Davy Business Park. Two toes on his left foot also had to be removed.
The pallet was being removed from a reinforced concrete cast when it fell.
A Health & Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found the pallet had not been secured onto the lifting chains of the overhead crane before being removed from the concrete cast. This meant the pallet was not supported while being moved.
The investigation also found that Amber Precast had consistently failed to implement a system of work to ensure the pallet could be removed safely. Mr Hatton, now 50, and other members on his team, had still not received any information or instructions on how to remove the pallet safely.
Amber Precast Ltd, of Davy Business Park, Prince Of Wales Road, Sheffield, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. It was fined £60,000 and ordered to pay £5,406.31 in costs at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on 9th January 2025.
HSE inspector Jane Fox said: “This incident could so easily have been avoided with the correct instruction and implementation of an agreed safe working procedure. Amber Precast Ltd left its employees to work out their own methods of completing the pallet removal task, instead of providing them with suitable training and equipment so it could be done safely every time.”
