Wilden Services of Hemel Hempstead, has appeared in court and been fined for safety failings after a toppling fan unit crushed a worker.

The 54-year-old employee injured his spine and was unable to work for several weeks when the unit fell on him as it was being manoeuvred into a ground floor plant room at a Surrey development on 17 December, 2012.

The incident was investigated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which found it could have been prevented had a better system of work been in place.

On 20 June, 2014 Guildford Crown Court fined the engineering firm £15,000. The firm was also ordered to pay a further £7,148 in costs after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to a breach of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Denis Bodger, commented: “The employee was seriously injured and could have been paralysed had his spinal cord been damaged by the falling unit.

“Companies should always ensure that extreme care is taken when moving heavy items, and that includes properly assessing the risks in advance and agreeing a safe system of work.

“The incident was entirely avoidable with better planning and management.”