ERIKS Industrial Services, which manufactures bearings and transmission and flow control systems, had failed to carry out a detailed risk assessment of its use of vehicle loading ramps.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found the agency worker was unchaining a vehicle ramp from a delivery lorry on 14 December 2015 when the incident happened. The lorry moved forward with a chain still attached to the ramp, crushing the worker between the ramp and a barrier.
As well as failing to control the risks from this operation, ERIKS Industrial Services also failed to implement robust systems of work. It also did not provide sufficient unloading training or brief visiting drivers on their roles.
HSE inspector Tim Underwood said the activity could have been carried out safely if the lorry driver's keys had been taken away until the procedure had been completed.
ERIKS Industrial Services of Amber Way, Halesowen in the West Midlands pleaded guilty to breaching s 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act at Southend Magistrates' Court on 29 March. The court levied £8,333 in prosecution costs.