Recycling Company Fined After Employee Left Blind and Deaf in Workplace Incident
WHO: Sheridan Skips Burnley Limited
WHAT: Prosecution and fine following a serious workplace crushing incident
WHERE: Clifton Street, Burnley, Lancashire
WHEN: Incident occurred 12 March 2024; sentencing 11 March 2026
WHY: Failure to segregate vehicles and pedestrians led to permanent worker disability
A recycling company in Lancashire has been fined following an incident which left a young employee with permanent sight and hearing loss.
HSE Investigation into Sheridan Skips Burnley
Sheridan Skips Burnley Limited appeared at Blackburn Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, 11 March 2026, following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The court ordered the firm to pay a £24,000 fine plus £4,777 in costs.
The case involved Jordan Campion, now 21, who was working at the Smiths Yard site in Clifton Street, Burnley, when the incident occurred on 12 March 2024. Mr Campion was sorting and separating waste material by hand alongside three colleagues in the yard.
A reversing telehandler crushed Mr Campion against a brick wall at the side of the yard. The impact was so severe that he remained in hospital for nearly two weeks.
Life-Changing Injuries Sustained
Clinicians confirmed the injuries were extensive. Mr Campion suffered multiple fractures, nerve damage to his right arm, and internal organ injuries.
Crucially, a blood clot caused optical damage to his right eye, resulting in permanent sight loss in that eye. Mr Campion also suffered partial hearing loss in his right ear. The combination of these injuries has had a devastating impact on his quality of life and his family.
Failures in Workplace Safety
HSE inspectors found that the company had failed to undertake a "suitable and sufficient" risk assessment. There were no adequate measures for the safe segregation of moving vehicles and pedestrians in the yard, leaving workers with no physical protection from vehicle movements.
The investigation also discovered that the telehandler operator could not see clearly while reversing. The machine was missing essential mirrors to aid visibility—a deficiency the company had failed to address.
Official Statements
In a victim personal statement, Mr Campion said: "They say you never expect to see your child go off to work and to get a phone call to say that they have had an incident and might not survive."
HSE inspector Anthony Banks noted that the injuries could have been easily avoided. He stated: "These measures would have ensured that workers present in the yard were not put at risk of being struck by vehicles moving in and around where they were working."
Legal Ruling
The company, based in Cathedral Gates, Manchester, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
This prosecution serves as a critical reminder to the waste and recycling industry to ensure that workplace transport risks are appropriately considered and that physical separation between vehicles and pedestrians is maintained at all times.
OFFICIAL SOURCE VERIFICATION:
This report is based on official clinical data from NHS Trust / Health Authority.
Document: Recycling company fined after employee suffers life-changing injuries in telehandler incident
Related Links
MORE: Worker Sustains Life-Changing Injuries at Huntingdon Facility - https://trendwiremedia.com/2026/04/14/worker-sustains-life-changing-injuries-at-huntingdon-facility/
MORE: Construction firm fined £42,200 following fatal fall of teenage labourer - https://trendwiremedia.com/2026/03/19/construction-firm-fined-42200-following-fatal-fall-of-teenage-labourer/
MORE: Bolton bakery company fined after employee sustains hip fracture in fall - https://trendwiremedia.com/2026/03/18/bolton-bakery-company-fined-after-employee-sustains-hip-fracture-in-fall/
MORE: West Sussex recycling firm fined after worker sustains serious leg injury - https://trendwiremedia.com/2026/03/18/west-sussex-recycling-firm-fined-after-worker-sustains-serious-leg-injury/
MORE: Liverpool Waste Investigation: Second 45-Year-Old Man Arrested Amid Illegal Dumping Crackdown - https://trendwiremedia.com/2026/03/14/liverpool-waste-investigation-second-45-year-old-man-arrested-amid-illegal-dumping-crackdown/
Author
Subscribe for $2 every four weeks for the first six months
Subscribe for $20 every four weeks for the first six months
