CF Booth: Rotherham recycling company fined £1.2m after worker's skull is fractured

A Yorkshire metals recycling company has been fined £1.2m after a worker was injured after being struck by a wagon in Rotherham.

On August 10, 2020, an employee of CF Booth Limited was walking across the site yard in Armer Street, Rotherham, when he was struck by a moving 32-tonne skip wagon.

He was not wearing his hi-vis jacket and did not see the wagon approaching - while the wagon driver also did not see the employee as they were concentrating on manoeuvring around badly placed low-level skips.

Following the incident, the man on the ground sustained a fractured skull and also fractured his collar bone in two places. He has since made a full recovery.

Sign up to The Star’s newsletter for all the latest news in Sheffield delivered direct to your inbox.

Now, CF Booth has been fined £1.2m after an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

It found found the site was not organised in such a way that pedestrians and vehicles could move around safely.

A suitable risk assessment was not in place and the company failed to take steps to properly assess the dangers posed by the movement of vehicles and pedestrians.

The HSE ruled the incident could have been prevented entirely with proper care.

At Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on April 25, CF Booth Limited pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act and was fined £1.2m. The firm also ordered to pay costs of £5,694.85.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Kirstie Durrans said: “If CF Booth Limited had assessed the risks and ensured vehicles and pedestrians could circulate in a safe manner, this incident could have easily been avoided.

“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyers Karen Park and Kate Harney, and supported by paralegal officer Rebecca Forman.