A road planing contractor in Leicestershire has been prosecuted after an employee’s leg became entangled in a road milling machine and had to be amputated.
In February 2024, the 32-year-old employee, working for Power Plane Ltd, was operating a road milling machine at a site in Basingstoke. The operator’s foot became caught by the rotating milling drum, dragging him into the machine.
The HSE’s investigation found the manufacturer’s ‘protective bow’, designed to restrict access to the milling drum, had not been attached to the machine. The investigation also found it was common practice for the company to operate milling machines without the guard fitted.
The worker’s right leg had to be amputated by emergency services at the scene to free him from the machine. The life-changing injury left him unable to work for more than a year. He continues to suffer long-term mental and physical effects, including PTSD and persistent pain.
Effective measures
HSE guidance states that employers must take effective measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery. Mobile work equipment should be used in accordance with the manufacturer’s health and safety instructions.
Power Plane Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. It was fined £92,450 and ordered to pay £6,781 in costs at Aldershot Magistrates’ Court on 13 May 2026.
HSE inspector Peter Crees said: “This was a wholly avoidable incident, caused by a failure to guard dangerous parts. Had the company simply fitted the manufacturer’s guard to the machine, this life-changing injury could have been prevented.”
