£48,000 fine after 133kg hopper crush injury: planning and near-miss lessons
Fitzpatrick Fabrications was fined £48,000 after a 133kg hopper component crushed a worker’s hand, days after a near-identical incident. The case concerned manual handling, not a LOLER mechanical lift.
What happened
HSE reported on 7 October 2026 that Fitzpatrick Fabrications Ltd was fined £48,000 and ordered to pay £10,089 costs after welder Todd Marshall suffered a crush injury and partial loss of his thumb while manually repositioning a 133kg stainless-steel hopper component. HSE found no task risk assessment or safe system of work and identified a near-identical incident days earlier.
The company pleaded guilty under the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992. This was a manual-handling prosecution, not a prosecution under LOLER.
What lifting teams can learn
The case shows why teams must assess heavy or unstable components and consider safer handling methods, including suitable mechanical aids where appropriate. A previous incident must trigger reassessment and effective corrective action.
- Assess load stability and manual-handling risks.
- Consider mechanical aids and suitable handling fixtures.
- Define a safe method before repositioning heavy components.
- Investigate near misses and verify corrective actions are implemented.
- Do not confuse manual-handling duties with mechanical-lifting duties under LOLER.
LiftPlanProUK relevance
Risk assessment, rigging selection, controlled methods and an auditable approval process support safe lifting operations where mechanical lifting is selected.
LiftPlanProUK provides planning and management support. Site-specific information must be checked and every lifting operation approved by a competent person.