Could this be you, tomorrow, next week, next year?

There is a lot of publicity from the HSE about an accident that left a man with severe injuries, the loss of a leg and the chance he will lose the other.

I know this kind of thing only happens to other people, well I think David Lawrence and his dependants will have to disagree.

Full information is available on the HSE website; please click here.

Is Pearson Hydraulics a bad company?

No, it is a great company just like yours; what it neglected to do was identify its legal duty to protect its worker,

Do you have Risk Assessments for all of your procedures that can cause harm?

Further, do you have a safe working practice for those procedures?

You need to think seriously about this. Pearson has likely been using the same processes for years with no ill effects. Do you think they have saved £107034 for the years they have got away with it?

Would a Risk Assessment and Safe Working Practices have prevented this accident? No one knows; however, had the correct procedures been in place, there is a chance the fine may have been reduced.

Would this accident have happened if Mr Lawrence had been adequately trained, monitored, and supervised?

Safe working practices would most likely prevent the engineer from being in a position of risk, and the training would guarantee that he had the knowledge to avoid putting himself in a position where the equipment would fall and trap him.

The company now has a £100000 fine and likely more from the victims claim.

Poor David Lawrence has lost a leg, causing physical and mental barriers to life. With the Paralympics, you can see that having a disability does not need to block you from achieving your dreams. However, it does make it a lot harder.

If I were in their position, I hope I would have the physical and mental strength of the Paralympians. I hope I never need to find out.

BEMA Health and Safety can help you meet your legal requirements. Click here to book a visit.