The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted a Lincolnshire masonry company, after concrete slabs fell on a driver and caused such serious injuries that he lost an arm.

In November 2008, the delivery driver parked his vehicle next to a pile of concrete slabs to make a delivery at Colin Parker (Masonry) Ltd’s site in Bedlam Court Lane, Minster in Ramsgate.

The driver was unloading three stone slabs from his lorry when part of the stack of slabs at the stonemason’s site collapsed on him. Emergency services were forced to amputate his left arm at the roadside.

On Thursday (05/11/09) at Margate Magistrates’ Court, Colin Parker (Masonry) Ltd of Bridge Road, Long Sutton, Spalding in Lincolnshire pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was fined £3,000 and ordered to pay full costs of £10,603.

The HSE investigation into the accident revealed that the company had not put in place systems that allowed employees to unload the concrete slabs – weighing 220kg each – safely.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Caroline Penwill said the company had now put in place a ‘toast rack’ system to separate each delivery of slabs with metal poles. However, at the time of the accident, drivers had to untie an entire stack to remove a single slab.

Ms Penwill said that the company also failed to provide ‘proper guidance’ for its drivers – in this case the stabilising legs on the lorry weren’t fully extended, despite it being parked on a slope.

‘It’s vital that companies think more about the safety of their staff while they’re out of the office on deliveries or carrying out work. We’ve got to stop incidents like this happening again in the future,’ Ms Penwill added.

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