Wedge Group Galvanizing Limited has been fined £566,666 after an employee suffered burns to 40% of his body when a steel beam fell into a bath of molten zinc at the company’s Devon site.
The incident occurred on 12 October 2021 at Marsh End, Lords Meadow Industrial Estate in Crediton, Mid Devon.
Lifting chain failure causes molten zinc incident
The 33 year old employee was working at the hot dip galvanizing facility when a lifting chain carrying a roller steel joist weighing nearly three tonnes failed.
The beam fell into the galvanizing bath, creating a wave of molten zinc that covered the worker before striking a wall and surging back along the floor towards him.
CCTV footage showed the employee alight and running towards an emergency shower, where his clothing was removed and he was doused in water.
Worker undergoes extensive hospital treatment
Paramedics initially treated the employee at the scene before he was transported by air ambulance to Southmead Hospital in Bristol.
He suffered burns covering 40% of his body and spent 11 days in intensive care, undergoing 13 separate operations.
Remaining healthy skin was used for grafts to repair the burns.
During treatment, he developed infection and sepsis, leaving him with multiple long term health conditions.
HSE identifies lifting equipment failures
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the lifting chains showed signs of damage and deterioration but had not been withdrawn from use.
The chains had also not undergone mandatory regular inspections.
Investigators established that the incorrect load slinging arrangement had been used, resulting in a load exceeding the chains’ safe limit.
The existing risk assessment for immersion and swilling did not address chain inspections or appropriate sling configurations.
Company sentenced at Bristol Magistrates Court
Under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998, lifting accessories must undergo thorough examination by a competent person at least every six months.
Industry guidance and the chain manufacturer’s instructions also require daily inspections of chain slings used in acidic environments.
Wedge Group Galvanizing Limited, of Stafford Street, Willenhall, West Midlands, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
At Bristol Magistrates Court on 14 October 2026, the company was fined £566,666 and ordered to pay £15,521 in costs.
HSE Inspector Alexander Ashen said: “This wholly-avoidable incident led to a young man having to endure truly terrible injuries – and the disturbing truth is that the consequences could have been even worse.
“It is shocking that an industry-leading firm, with considerable resources at its disposal, should risk the lives of its workers with substandard inspection protocols.
“Our thoughts are with the victim at the heart of this incident, his friends and family, and all those at the site who have been affected by what happened that day.”
