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PHW · Waste and recycling · 2026-03-11

Sheridan Skips Burnley Limited fined £24,000 after a worker was crushed by a reversing telehandler

Burnley, Lancashire · Blackburn Magistrates' Court

What happened

A worker and three colleagues were sorting waste in a yard while a telehandler operated in the same area. The telehandler reversed into the worker, crushing him against a brick wall.

Injuries: Multiple fractures, right arm nerve damage, internal organ injuries, partial hearing loss in his right ear, and a blood clot causing permanent sight loss in his right eye.

The breach

Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

The sentence

  • Fine: £24,000
  • Costs: £4,777
HSE inspector

“This young man's injuries could so easily have been avoided with the implementation of safe working practices.”

What would have prevented it

Pedestrians and moving vehicles must be segregated in yards, with clear refuges and reversing controls where segregation is not possible.

How PHW helps

The machines, packs and quizzes that fit this kind of site.

Sector

Training and evidence for waste and recycling sites

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Safety pack

Workplace Transport Safety

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Machine

Telescopic handler

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Quiz

Could you show, in writing, that every excavator or loading shovel operator is authorised for that machine?

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Source: HSE press release, Recycling company fined after employee suffers life-changing injuries in telehandler incident