15.11.2013

Settlement for Sellafield man

A man who lost his leg after he was run over by a boom lift at the Sellafield nuclear plant in Cumbria, UK, has been awarded a seven-figure cash settlement.

Kenneth Brown, 64, worked as a mechanical fitter for Johnson Controls, a contractor at the site and was directing the lift in May 2011, when it is said to have surged forward and caught and crushed his leg.

He sustained extensive crush injuries and had to have his left leg amputated above the knee.

Johnson Controls said Brown was "partly to blame" for the incident, but agreed to award him the damages and pleaded guilty of one breach of health and safety legislation and was also fined £65,000 and ordered to pay £8,162 in prosecution costs.

Faye Wingfield of the Health & Safety Executive said: "It is questionable whether Johnson Controls actually needed a member of staff on foot to direct the cherry picker, given that it was travelling forwards along a road in a one-way system. But if the risk assessment decided someone was needed to escort the vehicle then a safe system of work needed to be devised."

"The investigation found that Brown and other staff had escorted cherry pickers on foot several times a month, for at least 14 months, prior to him being injured. The only advice the company gave to its employees when directing cherry pickers was to wear a high visibility waistcoat. No specific training was provided for the task. The company complied promptly with an improvement notice in respect of its banksman procedure.”

The judge said: “This was not a case of total or reckless disregard for the safety of employees.”