Hydraulic company sentenced after employee loses sight in one eye
- Safety Flash
- Published on 15 December 2015
- Generated on 30 August 2025
- IMCA SF 22/15
- 1 minute read
The UK HSE has published the following incident in which an employee was badly injured when he was struck in the face during a test procedure.
What happened?
The employee suffered a broken jaw multiple facial lacerations and total blindness in the right eye as a result of being struck in the face by a pressurised hose during a test when a connector catastrophically failed. His employer was prosecuted under Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined.
Investigation found that the test zone was not segregated or safeguarded and that the test equipment was not maintained and suitable for the task. The company failed to assess the risks or provide a safe system of work for pressure testing hydraulic cylinders.
This may be of interest to members, as all members use hydraulic equipment and equipment under pressure.
There have been at least 15 IMCA Safety Flash incidents published that involve failure of hydraulic hoses or other hydraulic equipment. Members may wish to review the following Related Safety Flashes which relate particularly to stored energy release:
Safety Flash
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IMCA SF 03/11
1 April 2011
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IMCA SF 18/09
22 December 2009
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