Tarmac has been fined £630,000 after a worker’s legs were crushed between one-tonne metal frames on a production line in Essex.
Richard Ogunleye entered a fenced area to clean and inspect frames at the Tarmac Building Products manufacturing facility at Linford in Thurrock, Essex, according to a statement from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
It added that a frame, which carries large blocks on a track, moved and hit him, crushing his legs.
Ogunleye had entered the fenced area through an interlocked gate that was meant to prevent frames moving on that section of track.
The HSE statement said that he suffered one broken leg and severe bruising to the other, as the frames moved over axles on the track, the HSE said.
He did not suffer further injuries because a colleague saw what happened and pressed the emergency stop button, the regulator added.
Ogunleye spent two weeks in hospital, where a metal rod and screws were used to repair his broken leg.
“He was unable to return to work for over a year and underwent extensive physiotherapy,” the HSE said.
It added that its investigators found that several near misses had occurred on the track previously.
Tarmac had also carried out a risk assessment years earlier identifying that “additional control measures [were] required to reduce risk to an acceptable level”, the HSE said.
These steps were not implemented before the incident occurred in July 2022, it added.
Tarmac Building Products Ltd, of Wolverhampton, pleaded guilty to failing to discharge its duty under Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the HSE said.
It was fined £633,300, ordered to pay £5,583 in costs and a victim surcharge of £2,000 at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on 29 January 2026, the watchdog added.
After the sentencing, HSE inspector Connor Stowers said: “This was a serious and entirely avoidable incident, which has had profound consequences for Mr Ogunleye, and were it not for the quick action of a fellow worker, the injuries he sustained could have been worse.
“Employers need to ensure that dangerous machinery is guarded effectively, and this goes beyond the initial installation. Employers should frequently monitor how effective their measures are and make changes as needed.
“Monitoring arrangements should include properly investigating near misses and previous incidents.”
Stowers added: “In this case, had the previous near misses on the block production line at Tarmac Linford been fully investigated and sufficient action taken, this life-changing injury would never have occurred.”
Tarmac Building Products is a subsidiary of Tarmac Holdings Ltd. Its ultimate parent company is CRH plc.
Read More
Ian Weinfass