Grab hire firm fined £10,000 after employee struck by falling bucket

The digger was used to prop up the tipper body for repair work [Photo: HSE]

Back in October 2023 an employee of Salford Grab Hire was helping a colleague repair a broken lifting mechanism on a tipper truck body. A crawler excavator was being used to prop up the tipper body in the raised position but the one-tonne bucket became dislodged and fell.

The worker suffered multiple fractures to his hand, shoulder blade, ribs, shin and thigh, as well as a crushed ankle and foot. He also developed a blood clot in his lungs as a result of the incident.

An investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) found that Salford Grab Hire Limited had not used appropriate equipment to support the tipper body during repairs. The bucket being used to prop up the body did not have a quick hitch or retaining pin, causing it to become dislodged and fall.

Salford Grab Hire Limited of Fairacre Astley Moss, Tyldesley, Manchester pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay costs of £3,475.90 at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on 27^th January 2026.

HSE inspector Rose Leese-Weller said after the hearing: “Every year we see serious and sometimes fatal injuries to people working under a poorly propped vehicle body. Employers must not underestimate the risks involved and must ensure that appropriate equipment and systems of work are used when undertaking such work.”