UK-based tissue manufacturer NTG (Papermill) has been fined £10,000 after pleading guilty to a breach of health and safety regulations.
The announcement was made on 3 May following an incident at the company’s Lansil Industrial Estate factory on 24 August 2009.
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), a worker could have been killed when metal grating gave way under his feet at the tissue site.
The 39-year-old from Lancaster had been helping to hose down machinery during a two-week shutdown at the factory when he tried to cross the mezzanine floor, six metres above the ground.
As he stepped onto it, the metal grating gave way. His arms and jaw hit the floor as he fell and he managed to pull himself up.
The worker, who has asked not to be named, suffered bruising and friction burns to his chest and along his arms.
An HSE investigation found the company did not have a suitable inspection and maintenance regime for checking the floor at the factory, despite it being in a humid area and at risk of becoming unstable due to rust.
The company was also ordered to pay £5,866 in prosecution costs.
