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A meat processing firm based in Northern Ireland has been prosecuted and fined for health and safety breaches after an employee was seriously injured in a work-related accident.
Forklift truck driver Lucas de Costa, 32, sustained serious head injuries after a stack of heavy pallets fell on him whilst working at the Linden Foods of Dungannon factory in February 2010. In fact, Mr de Costa injuries were so severe that he is now in a semi-paralysed state and requires full-time care in a nursing home.
An investigation was launched following the shocking incident, and a number of breaches of health and safety regulations were uncovered at the factory. As well as not receiving the correct health and safety training, Mr de Costa was also found to have been driving a truck that did not have adequate overhead protection. There was also some confusion over the shape and type of pallets he was to move.
Despite spending £75,000 on safety improvements since the incident, Linden Foods of Dungannon was found in Omagh Crown Court to be liable for Mr de Costa’s injuries and was fined £25,000 as a result.