Company that ignored safety regulations fined after accident

The working inhabitants of Essex, like any other county in England, are subject to Health and Safety regulations in the workplace. When these are not adhered to, accidents occur, and the liable employers are forced to compensate the victims appropriately. Aspenlink, a company that deals in manufacturing paper and associated products, found itself in this scenario when it was ordered to pay a hefty fine after one of its employees suffered a preventable accident at work.

The man in question was involved in the unloading of a 3.2 tonne paper reel. He became crushed underneath it after its release by a forklift truck, sustaining multiple broken bones and other more serious injuries. Back in 2010, three years before the incident took place, the company was first made aware about the dangers of the unloading process and encouraged to put risk management procedures in place. This advice resurfaced in the following years leading up to the event and was continually ignored. That failure to act has cost Aspenlink £1,200 in legal fees and a £13,500 fine.

The worker involved might want to seek further compensation, especially as the injuries resulted in time taken off work. He may choose to file a workers’ compensation claim to cover any pay lost due to missed work.

However, if the compensation is not considered enough, the worker could then choose to reject the settlement offered and file a civil claim instead. This would be a more lengthy and costly process, but may result in higher amounts of compensation.

Source: Health and Safety Executive, “Paper company in court after worker crushed by reel of paper,” 15 Jan. 2015