Firm fined £19K following groin injury

Catering equipment manufacturer Lincat Limited, of Whisby Road, Lincoln was also ordered to pay £4,800 in costs at Lincoln Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to breaching health and safety laws.

The court was told how an oven assembler and his supervisor were both moving five pizza ovens, one at a time, from a waist-high assembly bench down to ankle-high pallets on the floor, without using any mechanical aids.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said the employees had not been made aware of how heavy the ovens were or how they should be moved safely, as a suitable risk assessment had not been carried out.

HSE inspector Dr Ian James Ellison said: "Employers must ensure that this sort of work is properly planned to take account of health and safety risks, and that employees are made fully aware of the risks associated with manually handling objects.

"This includes knowing the weight of the load, considering any postural constraints of the lift and what equipment to use accordingly. These men were unaware that the weight of this product was more than 15 stone."