Information bite 217: Civils Contractor fined after self-employed ground worker loses arm
A South West contracting firm has been fined £250,000 after a self employed ground worker lost his arm in a disc cutter accident.
The worker was using a petrol disc cutter to cut reinforced beams to size, when the saw ‘kicked up’ and lacerated his arm.
After months of surgeries, doctors were unable to save the severely damaged arm. It had to be amputated 5 months after the incident which had a significant impact on his ability to work.
An HSE investigation found that the ground worker had not been properly trained and had, in fact, never used a petrol disc cutter before. The contractors responsible for the site were found guilty of safety breaches and have been fined £250,00 and ordered to pay costs of £100,000.
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