A company has been fined after an employee received serious injuries during a lifting operation with a fork lift.

Knowsley Engineering Services Ltd of Peel Road Industrial Estate, Skelmersdale pleaded guilty to a breach of Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. It was fined £30,000 with costs of £7,670.

Liverpool Crown Court heard the 46-year-old victim was working with a colleague to manoeuvre a metal structure out of the premises using a fork lift truck on 30 June 2014.

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While trying to raise the structure from its supporting trestles, the structure twisted and swung towards the worker, entering the cab of the vehicle and striking him. His injuries included serious flesh wounds and a fractured arm.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed Knowsley Engineering had failed to ensure that the lifting operation was suitably planned, supervised or carried out safely. In addition, the company had not carried out a risk assessment and no formal training had been provided for the employees.

HSE Inspector Imran Siddiqui said: "Had the company taken basic steps such as providing suitable training so those undertaking the lift were in a more informed position to assess and then adequately manage the risks, this incident would have been avoided."

(LM/CD)