Two companies have been prosecuted after a worker was struck and seriously injured by falling machinery.

DHL Services Limited, of Midsummer Boulevard, Central, Milton Keynes, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. It was fined £266,000 with more than £23,370 in costs.

J C Bamford Excavators Limited, of Lakeside Works, Rocester, Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) and Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. It was fined £375,000 with over £37,235 in costs.

Stafford Crown Court heard how an employee of DHL was auditing in-coming deliveries of equipment in an outside yard at JCB World Headquarters on 16 October 2013.

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However, the worker was struck from behind by a trolley carrying hydraulic rams, which was being towed by an electric tug and weighed around 770kg.

The trolly trapped the employee between it and a stillage. He suffered multiple injuries, including fractures and internal injuries.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) carried out an investigation and found there were a number of safety failures related to the auditing activity and the segregation between employees and vehicles using this area, leading to an unsafe system of work.

In addition, employees of JC Bamford Excavators accessed this area as pedestrians when vehicles were operating.

HSE Inspector David Brassington: "The dangers of failing to provide effective segregation between pedestrians and vehicles are well known. Both of these companies were well versed in transport risk management and both fell well below the required standard in ensuring that such risks were effectively managed in this area.

"These failings allowed a pedestrian worker into a busy area where vehicles were coming and going and as a result the worker sustained serious injuries from which he has still not recovered."

(LM/MH)