Transport company fined after employee suffers multiple injuries
Falling from height claims are very expensive for companies, causing severe reputational damage. Yet they are often completely avoidable. Working from height demands a series of measures including safety procedures, training and techniques.
The best example to show the impact of improper risk management is through case studies. A recent case published by the HSE demonstrated how a negligent transport company from Cambridgeshire was found liable for injuries sustained by an employee. This a perfect example of how poor risk management and non-existent health and safety can lead to a claim and serious financial repercussions for a business.
The Incident
A Cambridgeshire logistics and transport business was working on a project involving a sugar beet production site. The employee was loading the transport vehicles with sugar beets using a conveyor. The system became blocked with waste product, and needed to be cleared.
While climbing the side of the conveyor, the employee fell suffering multiple injuries. The employees had several broken ribs, a punctured lung and liver damage.
The Investigation
Upon investigation by the Health and Safety Executive, it was discovered that the conveyor system would become blocked multiple times per shift. These blockages would only be cleared manually by an employee climbing up the side of the machine, using their hands to clear the machine. Although the business knew of this occurrence, there was no safe system in place to clear blockages.
Ultimately, although workers were not specifically told to act manually, the risk was not identified and no system was put in place to resolve the blockages. Therefore, workers would commonly work from height – a task which requires plenty planning, supervision and instruction.
The height of the conveyor would be deemed liable to cause injury, and therefore precautions are legally required. These legalities as well as guidance can be found provided in the HSE PDF on Working at Height.
The Outcome
The Cambridgeshire transport company pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act. The company was fined £133,000 and ordered to pay over £5,000 in costs to the court in October 2025.
In response to the case, the HSE said: Falls from height are the biggest causes of workplace injuries and this was a wholly avoidable incident. A worker was seriously injured, all because of poor safety standards and a lack of training.
Ultimately, the incident and claim has hopefully prevented an even worse incident from occurring, and the business can execute proper procedures to safeguard against any future incidents.