A  groundworks company from Crieff has been fined  after a worker had to have a leg amputated when it was crushed whilst working on site.

Gregor Steele, from Perthshire, suffered severe injuries when his left leg was trapped between a tractor pulling a heavy water bowser and the bucket of a loading shovel. The accident happened on 3 September 2010.

Mr Steele, 20, who had been employed by Gallagher Groundworks since leaving school, was airlifted to hospital where he underwent a nine-hour operation in an attempt to save his leg. Despite undergoing a second operation his leg was amputated above the knee on 10 September 2010.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) successfully prosecuted Gallagher Groundworks at Perth Sheriff Court 19 December 2013.

The court was told that between 13 August and 3 September 2010 the company failed to make a suitable and sufficient risk assessment for the work being carried out and failed to ensure that the machinery being used was appropriate for the work, was properly maintained and that safety equipment was fully operative.

Read in full: http://press.hse.gov.uk/2013/groundworks-firm-in-court-after-young-worker-loses-leg/

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