A farm in East Yorkshire has been ordered to pay out over £11,000 after a 17-year-old worker suffered crush injuries to his foot.
T Cook & Son (Farmers) Ltd, based in Withernsea, has been sentenced for safety breaches after the young worker suffered the serious injury.
Bridlington Magistrates’ Court heard that on 20 December 2017 a concrete panel was dropped during a lifting operation involving a telehandler vehicle on a farm in Owstwick.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the panel was being installed to repair a pig shed.
A telehandler was used to lower the panel, weighing over a tonne, into place and the load fell after the tines of the telehandler were withdrawn.
The panel fell onto the young worker resulting in mid foot fractures and crush injuries.
T Cook & Son, of Kenby Farm, Owstwick, Roos, Withernsea, East Yorkshire pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 8 (1) of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998.
The company has been fined £4,690 and ordered to pay £7,045 in costs.
HSE inspector Sarah Taylor said: “All lifting activities should be properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised and carried out in a safe manner.
“This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply carrying out correct control measures and safe working practices.
"HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those responsible for lifting operations especially when young persons are put at risk.”
