A waste management company has been ordered to pay almost £170,000 for safety failings after an employee suffered multiple injuries when he was crushed between a truck and a skip at a site in Essex.

Kier MG Ltd, of Tempsford Hall, Sandy, Bedfordshire, was fined a total of £160,000 and ordered to pay costs of £9,809 after pleading guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. 1974 Act and a breach of Regulation 17(1) of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992.

The 29-year-old worker from Canvey Island, was caught between the skip loader truck and the skip he was preparing for pick-up at the-then May Gurney household waste recycling centre in Canvey Island on 26 January 2013.

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The skip loader was maneuvering into position for the pick-up but struck the worker as it was being driven through a narrow route between the full skip and a fence.

The operative, who does not wish to be named, suffered life-threatening injuries including having all his ribs broken; back and shoulder injuries; injuries to the top of his left leg; a chip to the back of his skull and a number of cuts and bruises.

He was taken to the Royal London hospital where he suffered two collapsed lungs and was put into an induced coma for three days. He was in hospital for a total of 17 days and needed considerable physiotherapy after he regained consciousness, after which he spent eight weeks at his parents for further monitoring and care.

He has since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder by his GP and has not been able to return to work. The incident has also had profound effects on his family, partner and children.

(CD/IT)