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Lancaster manufacturer pleads guilty to safety breaches

Lancaster-based tissue manufacturer, NTG (Papermill) Ltd, has been fined £10,000 after pleading guilty to a breach of health and safety regulations.

A court heard that a 39-year old worker from Lancaster could have been killed when metal grating gave way under his feet at the tissue factory.

The male worker, who has not been named, was crossing a mezzanine floor six metres above the ground while helping to clean machinery during a two week close down at the factory.

He suffered bruising and friction burns to his chest and arms after the floor gave way, and his jaw and arms hit the floor when he fell.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation into the incident found NGT did not have the correct safety checks for the floor at the factory, despite it being a humid area, meaning the metal floor was at risk of rusting.

The firm pleaded guilty to a breach of the Workplace Regulations 1992 by failing to maintain the mezzanine floor.

A further £5,866 will be paid to cover prosecution costs on top of the £10,000 fine that must be paid by the company.

Anthony Banks, HSE inspector, commented: “The employee at NTG was lucky he was able to grab onto the mezzanine floor as he fell. If he had fallen all the way to the concrete below then he could have been killed.

“Companies shouldn’t just wait for employees to be injured before taking any action to improve safety. It’s vital that proper maintenance systems are in place to protect workers.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Miranda Dobson .