Firm’s £10,000 after man fell in bleach vat

THE vat in which the worker fell, suffering serious chemical burns

A FABRICS firm has been fined £10,000 after an employee suffered severe chemical burns when he fell into a vat of bleach.

Trafford Magistrates’ Court heard the 47-year-old worker, from Shaw, had climbed into a container at PW Greenhalgh and Co Ltd in June 2014 to free cloth tangled between rollers.

In doing so he fell into the open bleach vat and suffered serious chemical burns to his lips, arms, chest, groin and legs. Recovery took more than three months.

It was revealed that the PW Greenhalgh’s factory at Newhey Bleach Works hadn’t carried out proper risk checks and staff hadn’t had training on working with hazardous substances.