Bradley Demolition fined £200,000 after cherry picker accident

A demolition company has been fined £200,000 after its cherry picker operator became trapped by his neck between the vehicle platform and the roof of an industrial shed.

Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard how the worker contracted by Bradley Demolition, was accessing the underside of the roof in Bredbury in November 2017 in order to remove asbestos sheets.

However, during the operation, he became trapped between the basket of his machine and a roof truss.

As a result he sustained life-changing injuries which require lifelong care.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the cherry picker was not suitable for the work being undertaken and that it was not fitted with equipment to avoid the likelihood of operators being crushed.

In addition, the Preston company’s risk assessment did not sufficiently identify the entrapment hazard and there was no effective communication with banksmen on the ground.

The HSE said that an inadequate plan led to the operator being trapped for a sustained period of time.

Bradley Demolition, which holds a restricted operator’s licence for four HGVs and four trailers, pleaded guilty to breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act and as well as the six-figure fine, it was also ordered to pay costs of almost £22,000.

Speaking after the court hearing, David Argument, HSE inspector, said: “If a suitable safe system of work had been in place prior to the incident, the life-changing injuries sustained by the employee could have been prevented.”