A stone company has been fined after a delivery driver had to have his left arm amputated when slabs, weighing 220 kilograms each, fell on him.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted Colin Parker (Masonry) Ltd following an incident on Bedlam Court Lane in Minster, Ramsgate. The company pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

Colin Parker (Masonry) Ltd, of Bridge Road, Long Sutton, Spalding in Lincolnshire, was fined £3,000 and ordered to pay full costs of £10,603 at Margate Magistrates' Court.

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The court heard that the driver was unloading three stone slabs from his lorry, while parked next to a stonemasons', when part of the stack collapsed on him on 25 September 2008. HSE criticised the company for not having a system in place to allow drivers to remove individual slabs safely.

HSE Inspector Caroline Penwill said: "This was a horrific incident which led to a delivery driver having to have his left arm amputated at the roadside.

"Colin Parker (Masonry) has now introduced a 'toast rack' system which separates each delivery of slabs with metal poles. But at the time of the incident, drivers had to untie a whole stack just to remove one slab.

"The company also failed to provide proper guidance for its drivers which meant, in this case, the stabilising legs on the lorry weren't fully extended despite it being 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."

(CD/KMcA)