Nursery fined after worker hurt in accident (From Clacton and Frinton Gazette)

Nursery fined after worker hurt in accident

6:04pm Friday 1st February 2013 in News

A GARDEN nursery has been fined £5,000 after a worker suffered serious leg injuries when the dumper truck he was driving overturned, pinning his leg underneath.

Grzegorz Krzyzak, 32, suffered a double open fracture to his shinbone and multiple fractures to bones in his right foot after the incident at Parkers Nurseries, near Thorpe Le Soken, in October 2011.

It is unclear whether he will ever regain the full use of his leg, or whether he will have a limp for life.

Colchester Magistrates' Court heard he was working with two other employees at Parkers Nurseries to replace an old path in a greenhouse, and was driving an articulated dumper truck to remove some soil.

As he was tipping a load, the truck, which weighed about a tonne, overbalanced and fell on its side, trapping his leg underneath.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found the nursery failed to provide adequate training for safely using the truck.

The injured worker and one of his colleagues could not read much English, but the manual and instructions they received were in English.

The nursery, in Frinton Road, Thorpe Le Soken, was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay £3,000 in costs after admitting breaching work equipment regulations.