Barrett Steel Limited fined £266,000 after employee crushed by lorry

Barrett Steel Limited has been fined £266,000 after an employee was crushed between two lorries, leaving her with life changing injuries.

The employee was working at Kass Steel Stockholders on Glebe Road in Scunthorpe on 4 February 2022 when she sustained serious and potentially life-threatening injuries after being crushed between two lorries as a vehicle reversed.

Kass Steel Stockholders is operated by Barrett Steel Limited.

She was taken via air ambulance to Hull Royal Infirmary, where she received treatment for her injuries, and remained for several weeks.

The employee sustained multiple fractures, soft tissue injuries and psychological trauma. Since the accident she has been unable to return to work and said the day of the accident was “the day my world fell apart”.

The employee, who worked as a driver for Barrett Steel Limited, was checking the load on her lorry was safe before leaving the site, when she was crushed between the rear of her vehicle and the reversing vehicle.

A North Lincolnshire Council investigation found Barrett Steel Limited had failed to implement an adequate safe system of work to ensure pedestrians were protected from moving vehicles.

Barrett Steel Limited, of Barrett House, Cutler Heights Lane, Dudley Hill, Bradford, BD4 9HU, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £266,000 and ordered to pay £9,739.90 in costs at Hull Crown Court on 15 September 2025. A victim surcharge of £190 was applied.

Cllr Carl Sherwood, cabinet member with responsibility for public protection, said: “This case underscores the vital importance of workplace health and safety. Employers have a legal and moral duty to protect staff, and failing to do so can result in serious, preventable harm, as we see here.

“The council takes health and safety breaches extremely seriously and will not hesitate to take action against those who fail to meet their obligations. This was a terrible accident, and our thoughts are with the injured individual. Businesses must learn from this case to prevent similar incidents in the future, ensuring that the health, safety, and welfare of their employees remain a top priority.”

Andy Warcup, chief executive officer for Barrett Steel Limited, said: “On behalf of Barrett Steel, we sincerely apologise for our failings which contributed to the accident taking place and the injuries which our employee sustained. Since the accident, we have worked tirelessly to ensure lessons are learned and measures are taken to avoid any repeat issues in the future. We have implemented a number of changes and improvements, not only to ensure compliance going forwards but to establish systems above industry standards.

“Nothing is more important to us than the continued safety of our employees. We hope our employee’s injuries continue to improve and that the conclusion of this case offers some degree of closure. We wish her all the best for her continued recovery.”

(Photo of Hull Crown Court: David Wright, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)