A plant hire company has been fined for a health and safety offence

12:48, 04 Feb 2026Updated 13:15, 04 Feb 2026

The JCB pictured on the site(Image: HSE)

A plant hire company has been fined by a court after a JCB bucket weighing a tonne fell on top of a mechanic. The man – who was helping to repair a tipper truck at the time – suffered ‘life-changing’ injuries as a result, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said.

In a statement after the court case, the HSE said a JCB was being used to prop up the truck when the bucket became dislodged and fell.

The man, an employee at the time of Salford Grab Hire Limited, suffered multiple fractures to his hand, shoulder blade, ribs, shin and thigh, the HSE said. The national workplace safety regulator said the falling bucket crushed one of his ankles and feet, and he also went on to develop a blood clot in his lung. The incident happened on October 24, 2023.

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The man, who hasn’t been named, was said to have been assisting a colleague in repairing a broken lifting mechanism on the truck.

In a statement, the HSE said: “An investigation by the Health and 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.

The JCB bucket involved(Image: HSE)

“HSE guidance on health and safety in motor vehicle repair and associated industries states that elevated vehicle load areas, such as those on tipper lorries, should be effectively propped if access is needed below them. Props should only be used on firm, level ground and must be designed to adequately carry the loads placed on them.”

Salford Grab Hire Limited, of Fairacre, Astley Moss, Tyldesley, Wigan, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

The company was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay costs of £3,475.90 at a hearing at Warrington magistrates’ court last month.

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.”

The Health and Safety Executive is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety.

The M.E.N. has contacted the company for comment.