A STEEL company faces a £10,000 court bill and civil legal action after a heavy beam badly injured one of its employees.

Health and Safety inspector Andrea Lowe said Michael Godliman and two other employees were loading steel beams weighing between 30 and 100 stone, or 200 to 700 kg, on to a lorry at M Britton Ltd's base in Fulford, York.

Mr Godliman had just collected paperwork from the lorry's cab, when a chain supporting one of the girders slipped and the beam fell on to him.

Mr Godliman suffered a crushed vertebra, nerve damage, a broken collarbone and broken ribs, and spent three months in hospital after the accident, in May last year. The court heard he had not worked since and must still undergo further surgery.

Miss Lowe said the three workers had been using an unsafe method of lifting the nine to 14-metre long metal girders, using a single chain and an overhead crane.

The Fulford Industrial Estate company admitted its employees had used the technique for years, though there had been no other accidents. Miss Lowe, who headed the Health and Safety Executive investigation into the accident, said: "The serious injuries to Mr Godliman could, I am sure, have been prevented."

"If the steel had struck Mr Godliman on the head, the injuries might have been a lot more severe."

Managing director Melvyn Britton, on behalf of the company, pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety regulations by not ensuring the safety of its employees. The company was fined £7,500 with £2,592 prosecution costs.

Mr Britton did not comment as he left York Magistrates Court.

Miss Lowe said that the company had not trained its staff in the correct procedure, but it had now done so and changed its loading technique.

For the company, James Robinson said it had a £13 million turnover and £272,000 profit in 2003, the latest available figures. It had co-operated fully with the investigation, including leaving the accident site untouched until the inspector arrived.

Mr Godliman had been with the company six years and was working with its acknowledged and experienced expert on handling girders. His lawyers are suing the company for compensation.

Updated: 10:14 Saturday, March 05, 2005