Company fined after trainee hurt in accident

An East Yorkshire quarry company has been fined £30,000 after a trainee worker was injured in an accident at work when a vehicle overturned.

The man was transporting sand in a 30-tonne vehicle across the quarry in North Cave when a ramp gave way causing it to turn over and fall 16 feet down a sand pile. He was knocked out in the accident and had to spend two days in hospital.

The company which owns the quarry, Humberside Aggregates and Excavations Ltd, admitted breaches of the Quarries Regulations at Beverley Magistrates Court. The HSE said that protective barriers should have been in place and that the company had failed in its risk assessment.

HSE Inspector Richard Noble said: “This accident could have been avoided had sufficient edge protection been put in place at minimal cost, which has been the standard within the quarrying industry for many years. Quarrying remains one of the most dangerous industries to work in. Since 2000, more than 3,000 workers have suffered an injury reportable to HSE and 24 people have been killed.”

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