A City Electrical Factors Limited employee suffered life-changing injuries after a 231kg switchboard unit fell from a forklift truck during loading operations at the company’s Proteus Switchgear Industrial Division in Telford on 4 October 2024. The 40-year-old father of one sustained severe brain and spinal injuries and now requires 24-hour care in a residential facility. [press.hse.gov.uk], [expressandstar.com]
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that:
- There was no suitable risk assessment or lift plan.
- The lifting operation had not been properly planned or supervised.
- The load had not been secured to the forklift.
- A safer alternative, using the lorry-mounted crane already available, could have been used.
- Workers were acting as “spotters” to steady loads, which the HSE described as an unsafe system of work. [press.hse.gov.uk], [uk-safety.news]
City Electrical Factors Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £4 million and ordered to pay £6,304 in costs at Birmingham Magistrates Court on 16 October 2026. [press.hse.gov.uk], [uk.news.yahoo.com]
The HSE described the incident as “completely avoidable” and stressed that loading and unloading operations remain among the most hazardous workplace transport activities. [press.hse.gov.uk]
For the official HSE release, see: Electrical wholesaler fined £4million after worker’s crush injuries mean he now needs 24/7 care. [press.hse.gov.uk]
