In a shocking incident that highlights the importance of workplace safety, Cappagh Public Works Limited, a waste and recycling company based in London, has been fined £260,000 after a worker sustained severe crush injuries during maintenance work. The incident, which occurred on 11 September 2020 at Riverside Road, Wimbledon, has left the employee, Grzegorz Poreba, with life-altering injuries.

Mr. Poreba, a 48-year-old employee, was carrying out repairs to the mesh of a waste sorting machine when tragedy struck. Without proper isolation from all energy sources, the machine was inadvertently switched on, causing Mr. Poreba to become trapped between a conveyor and a metal bridge. The force of the incident resulted in multiple injuries that required extensive surgical intervention, including the insertion of 23 screws and two plates.

Since the incident, Mr. Poreba has been unable to return to work and has faced significant physical and mental challenges. He shared, “The whole accident has turned my life upside down. I cannot walk or stand for longer than an hour and a half. It has been very hard. If I could turn back time, I could only wish that the accident had never happened. The doctors have been trying to regain my physical and mental health. The only success so far is that I am not in a wheelchair.”

Following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), it was revealed that Cappagh Public Works Limited had failed to provide a suitable means to isolate the machinery from all sources of energy. The isolator switch, crucial for ensuring safety during maintenance work, was found to be broken and inoperative. Additionally, the company had no formal maintenance arrangements for the machinery.

As a result of these failures, Cappagh Public Works Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. During the hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court on 20 October 2023, the company was fined £260,000 and ordered to pay £4,358 in costs.

HSE inspector Pippa Knott emphasised the seriousness of the situation, stating, “The fine imposed should underline to everyone in the waste industry that the courts, and HSE, take a failure to ensure that maintenance work is completed safely extremely seriously. Grzegorz is lucky to be alive, and the incident has left a lasting impression on him. We will not hesitate to take action against companies that do not do all that they should to keep people safe.”