A Hampshire-based construction company has been fined more than £50,000 after a 16-year-old with work experience suffered serious injuries after being pinned under a tractor.
The incident happened in August 2021 when Tom Cutler was gaining paid experience doing vehicle repair work at Earlcoate Construction and Plant Hire Ltd in Fordingbridge.
The tractor, which was not wearing a seat belt, left the road and overturned as Cutler drove it alone down a slope.
He was thrown from the seat and his upper leg was trapped under the roof of the tractor, according to a statement issued by the Health and Safety Executive.
Emergency services arrived and took Cutler to hospital after being called by passersby who found the teenager.
An HSE investigation found that Earlcoate had failed to adequately protect Cutler, pointing to a failure of supervision and a lack of adequate information, instruction and training.
Earlcoate, which had seven employees in the year to 31 March 2023, pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety laws at Southampton Magistrates’ Court on 16 October.
His father, David Cutler, said: “Tom was only 16 when this incident happened, and it has changed his life forever.
“Had it not been for his own bravery and the incredible work of the emergency services, we would have lost him.”
David said his son used his seat belt as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, hit the cab window to check his leg and broke a side mirror so he could turn off the tractor and prevent a fire. run out of fuel.
She added that after a month in hospital and seven different operations, her son is still unable to do activities like before, such as mountain biking and cricket.
HSE Inspector Nicola Pinckney said: “The incident could so easily have been avoided by understanding the risks involved in employing young people.
“This could have been achieved by carrying out a proper risk assessment and putting in place the right information, instruction and training for both Tom and those working with him, and most importantly, ensuring there was supervision adequate to ensure correct control measures and safe work. practices were implemented.”
