Firm fined £280,000 after worker paralysed


				Firm fined £280,000 after worker paralysed Three companies have pleaded guilty and fined £283,332 for breaching health and safety law which resulted in an employee being paralysed from the waist down when 0.5 tonne of waste fell on him. Shell UK Oil Products, Dalprop and Hertell UK Limited were fined £83,333, £83,333 and £116,666 respectively following the accident on 9 February 2007 when Mr Rizzotti had a 0.5 tonne container of waste material dropped on him. Mr Rizzotti was working for S.G. Blair and Co (now Dalprop) at the Shell Oil Refinery in Cheshire when the container of waste material which was suspended above a walkway fell on him leaving him paralysed. HSE Inspector Alan Graham said "This incident was totally avoidable and has had a devastating impact on Mr Rizzotti and his family… The scaffolding should have been constructed so that the lifting equipment was away from areas where people had to walk. The landing area should also have been suitably protected… This case clearly demonstrates why it's so important for companies to put the safety of their employees first."