A council has appeared in court after a lorry’s air suspension failed and its body dropped suddenly, trapping a mechanic’s right forearm while he was working in an inspection pit.
The employee was working beneath the bin lorry at the Council’s fleet maintenance workshops in Grangemouth in Scotland on 23 February 2022 when the air suspension failed. After the bin lorry’s body dropped, his right forearm was trapped and crushed between parts of its front axle and the suspension. A second mechanic who was working at ground level on the lorry narrowly escaped being struck. According to the BBC , his colleagues heard a bang followed by his screams for help. They then fought for 10 minutes with tools, jacks and a forklift to free the mechanic, who was subsequently taken to Forth Valley Royal Hospital. He was then transferred to Glasgow Royal Infirmary.
Attendees at Falkirk Sheriff Court last month heard how the mechanic’s elbow bone was fractured and he required several operations, including repairs to the bone and tendons. The court also heard how the pain from the crush injury was so intense that the mechanic cracked a tooth, leading to a major abscess. As a result, a surgical drain had to be inserted into the mechanic’s neck, which has left a scar. He remains under the care of a plastic surgeon, according to the BBC. His damaged right arm has restricted movement and consequently he has had to learn to write with his left hand and now operates an automatic car. The Falkirk Herald also reported on the case and added that although he can manage daily living, he will continue to ‘struggle’ with more dexterous tasks. He still needs painkillers and his mental health has been affected. The newspaper also reported that although the mechanic has not worked since the incident, he hopes to retrain for a new line of work in the future.
In the BBC’s report, the Council acknowledged that the incident could have been avoided had it put in place a propping system to undertake the maintenance work. The court was told that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) had circulated a safety alert less than two years earlier (see below) after receiving reports of serious incidents involving vehicles with air suspension failures. Although the Council had received the safety alert, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) found it had failed to ensure that all its employees were aware of it and what its contents were.
The council admitted that it had failed to maintain a safe system of work at its depot.
Defending Barry Smith KC said the council expressed its ‘sincere regret that its hitherto unblemished safety record is no longer so.’
Source – IOSh
