Pilkington fined for glass handling accident

Pilkington was yesterday fined £20,000 by Bristol magistrates for its inadequate glass handling procedures.

Ashley Emes and Nick Stone were injured while working for Pilkington UK at its Imperial Park site in Bristol in June 2010.

Health and Safety Executive inspectors told the court that the 1,500kg capacity trolley had earlier been overloaded with glass weighing 1,780kg by two of the injured men's colleagues.

The load was unevenly distributed with most of the weight on one side of the trolley, so when Mr Emes, 24, and 35-year-old Mr Stone attempted to move the trolley it collapsed and the glass fell on top of them, shattering as it did so.

Mr Emes suffered a broken leg and his neck was slashed, needing 72 stitches. He has had a number of operations on his knee and has not yet returned to work. Mr Stone suffered severe cuts, bruising and tendon damage, and needed six months off work.

Speaking after the case, HSE inspector Mehtaab Hamid, said: "This horrific incident could have been avoided if Pilkington had a system in place to ensure its staff knew the loading capacity of the trolley, the weight of the loads being put on it, and how to load it correctly.

"Employers have a duty to ensure their staff have the information and training necessary to carry out their duties safely, and higher standards should be expected from such a large and well known company."

Pilkington United Kingdom Ltd, of Hall Lane, Latham, Ormskirk, Lancashire, pleaded guilty to a breach of Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. It was ordered to pay full costs of £5,646 in addition to the £20,000 fine.

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