9th July 2019
Construction 360 was sentenced for safety breaches at specialist oriental food manufacturer King Asia Foods' premises, where a new processing room was being built within the packaging area of the factory.
Sheffield Magistrates' Court was told that the worker was using a petrol-powered floor saw in a confined space to cut a drain into the factory floor.
The open side of the factory had been covered by tarpaulin and, after a period of cutting, the worker felt unwell before he collapsed and lost consciousness.
He was taken to hospital where he was diagnosed with carbon monoxide poisoning. He also sustained bruising to his head, elbow and knees.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that Construction 360 had failed to plan confined space working in the processing room.
Construction 360 pleaded guilty to breaching s 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act. It was fined and ordered to pay costs of £1,805.
After the hearing, HSE inspector Sarah Robinson said: "This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply carrying out correct control measures and safe working practices.
"The company failed to appropriately plan a safe system of work for the task being carried out."