Costain and Southbay Civil Engineering have both been fined after a worker suffered fractures to his back, hip and leg while he was working on a sewage outfall site at a beach in Hartlepool.

Eric Wilson, 62, was injured by a four-tonne piling hammer after it broke free of its sling while being lifted into position.

Mr Wilson was using the hammer to drive timber piles into the beach. As the sling broke, the hammer fell and knocked Mr Wilson into the seawater.

He suffered fractures to his vertebra, pelvis and left thigh as well as muscle damage to his back, shoulder and knee. It is understood he was in hospital for 11 days.

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A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that Southbay Civil Engineering had failed to properly plan, supervise and carry out the lifting operation in a safe manner.

The investigation also found that principal contractor Costain had failed to properly manage and monitor this phase of the work.

Southbay Engineering pleaded guilty to a breach of Regulation 8(1)(c) of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. The company was fined £19,000 and ordered to pay £8,652.45 in costs.

Costain pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 22(1)(a) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 and was fined £19,000 as well as being ordered to pay £14,895.25 in costs.

HSE Inspector Martin Smith said: "The failures by both companies to look properly at the risks involved and then organise the lifting operation properly put staff at needless risk."

(LM/CD)