An employee, Mr Collins,  who had been with them only 3 months, was asked with two others to collect an excavator from a field.  This turned out to be extremely difficult because the machinery had flat tyres which had sunk into the ground.  The men decided to raise it using bottle jacks and to then place metal sheets under the wheels to make it easier to tow.
It was during the lifting operation that one of the jacks 'popped' out under considerable force, hitting Mr Collins on the side of the head.   He was diagnosed with a fractured skull.  The HSE investigation concluded that the company had failed to consider the potential risks or provide a plan to help get the job done safely. A full case report is available from the following website.

I was pleased to read that Mr Collins has made a good recovery and was able to return to work ten weeks after the incident.  The outcome could have been much worse.

If you have suffered a head injury or had an accident at work, contact Claire Howard, Head of Blake Lapthorn's Personal Injury Team on 023 8085 7313.