Farming company fined £70k for accident at work

An agricultural firm has awarded more than £70,000 to an employee following an incident in September 2003 in which he suffered several broken bones in his leg.

According to the Mid Ulster Mail, Stephen Hyndman had his leg crushed as he attempted to clear a blockage in farming machinery in Cumbria around seven years ago.

Mr Hyndman's limb was caught in a mechanical harvesting implement and consequently severely injured his ankle and lower leg area. His employer, agricultural contractor William Brown, has been found by the High Court to have been in breach of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.

At the time of the incident, Mr Hyndman was working as a seasonal employee who drove a tractor and trailer alongside a potato harvester. However, his aspiration to become an HGV driver in the future have been "handicapped" by this accident, Mr Justice Hart - who has worked at the High Court since 2005 - said.

Posted by Patrick White
 

27/09/2010 15:47