When the bucket of a telehandler fell off, it resulted in a farm worker sustaining a fractured skull, a broken clavicle, a ripped earlobe and haematomas down his right side.
He had been removing cattle from the back of a lorry when the telehandler bucket became detached and struck him. The incident happened on 19th October 2022 at the Glasgow site of Grayshill Limited.
That morning, a self-employed agricultural engineer had serviced the telehandler, which included removing the bucket, but did not correctly reattach it to the telehandler after the service was complete. The investigation found that the securing pin for the quick hitch had not been reinserted.
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) found that Grayshill had failed to implement a safe system of work for the use of quick hitches on the telehandler.
HSE principal inspector Hazel Dobb said: “This was a serious incident that has resulted in a worker sustaining horrific injuries. We thoroughly investigated this incident and found Grayshill Limited failed to carry out the correct control measures and safe working practices at its site in Glasgow. The company also failed to check its vehicles after they had been serviced and repaired to ensure they were safe for use.”
Grayshill Limited, of Mollins Road, Cumbernauld, Glasgow, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1), Section 2(2)(a) and Section 33(1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £80,000 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £6,000 at Airdrie Sheriff Court on 28th October 2024.
