A road planing contractor has been fined over £90,000 after an employee suffered life changing injuries when his leg became entangled in a road milling machine in Hampshire.
Serious incident during road works
The incident happened in February 2024 in Basingstoke. A 32-year-old employee of Power Plane Limited was operating a road milling machine.
During the operation, the worker’s foot became caught in the rotating milling drum, dragging him into the machinery.
Emergency services were forced to amputate the man’s right leg at the scene in order to free him from the machine.
The injury prevented him from working for more than a year and has left him suffering long term physical and psychological effects, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, persistent pain and permanent disability.
HSE investigation findings
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Power Plane Limited had failed to implement effective measures to prevent access to dangerous moving parts on the road planing machine.
Investigators discovered that the machine manufacturer’s protective bow, designed to restrict access to the rotating milling drum, had not been fitted at the time of the incident.
The HSE investigation also found that operating milling machines without the protective guard in place had become common practice within the company.
HSE guidance states employers must take appropriate measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery and ensure mobile work equipment is operated in accordance with manufacturer safety instructions.
Court outcome
Power Plane Limited, of Highway House, Asfare Business Park, Hinckley Road, Hinckley, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.
The company fined £92,450 and was also ordered to pay £6,781 in costs at Aldershot Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, May 13.
HSE inspector Peter Crees said: “Every year, a significant proportion of accidents, many of them serious or fatal, are caused by poorly guarded work equipment.
“This was a wholly avoidable incident, caused by a failure to guard dangerous parts. Had the company simply fitted the manufacturer’s guard to the machine, this life-changing injury could have been prevented.”
