Huthwaite transport company fined after accident that left worker with a fractured skull

The man, who was working as a delivery driver for B Taylor & Sons Transport, the distribution arm of Taylors Transport, had been delivering glass to a customer when the incident occurred in Hinckley, Leicestershire, on December 4, 2020.

As no forklift truck was available, the man was passing panes of glass from a stillage in the lorry to another worker on the ground.

The man then fell from the lorry, fracturing his skull, left hand, nose and right eye socket. He also sustained two bleeds on the brain, a 12-centimetre gash on his forehead and dislocated his right elbow.

He spent five days in hospital following the incident and has to make significant adjustments to his day to day life.

Leicester Magistrates’ Court heard he now struggles carrying out normal activities, including lifting moderate to heavy loads and carrying out DIY tasks in his home. He also experiences pain on a daily basis as a result of his injuries and feels a lot of uncertainty about what the future holds.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found that B Taylor & Sons had failed to put in place appropriate control measures for unloading activities. Risks had not been considered and the work was being carried out unsafely – HSE guidance can be found at bit.ly/3r3SmLr

B Taylor & Sons, of Export Drive, Huthwaite, admitted breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

The company was fined £255,000 and ordered to pay £3,687 costs.

HSE inspector Nicholas Moreby said: “B Taylor & Sons Transport failed to proactively plan and manage health and safety.

"The fine imposed on them should underline to everyone in the transport industry that the courts, and HSE, take a failure to follow the regulations extremely seriously.

“We will not hesitate to take action against companies which do not do all that they should to keep people safe."

This prosecution was supported by HSE enforcement lawyer Nathan Cook.

A B Taylor & Sons spokesman said: “Everybody at B Taylor & Sons Transport was shocked and saddened at the accident.

“A valued and respected colleague sustained injuries and the company is deeply sorry this happened, hence our guilty plea in the HSE case.

“In its 50-year history, B Taylor & Sons Transport has always placed health and safety at the very top of the agenda and we continue to do so now. The safety and wellbeing of our employees is kept at the centre of everything that we do.”