A British paper packaging manufacturer has been heavily fined after a serious accident at work. An employee of Multi Packaging Solutions UK Limited suffered life-changing head injuries during an unplanned lifting operation after a machine weighing several tonnes fell on him.
The accident occurred on 31 October 2023 at the East Kilbride site. Matthew King, then aged 39, was working under a machine weighing around 4.5 tonnes when it slipped off a forklift truck during an internal transport operation and hit him on the head. The man suffered a severe skull fracture, facial injuries and nerve damage that resulted in permanent disability.
Inadequately planned lifting operation
At the time of the accident, King was part of a team that was supposed to move the machine from a warehouse to a storage area around 160 metres away. The machine had no defined lifting or attachment points. The employees improvised the transport by lifting the machine with a forklift truck, placing roller skates underneath it and then pulling it. The machine had already slipped off the forklift forks at least twice before the accident.
While the machine was raised, King was underneath the machine to secure a wheel on the underside. At that moment, the machine slipped off the forks again and hit him in the head.
Investigations by the supervisory authority
Following its investigation, the UK Health and Safety Executive found that the lifting operation had not been planned by a competent person. Neither the weight, dimensions and centre of gravity of the machine nor suitable lifting points had been adequately assessed. In addition, there was no safe working procedure for this non-routine activity.
The authority points out that moving machines of this size and weight was not part of the usual activities at the site and that structured planning would therefore have been essential.
Court imposes heavy fine
Multi Packaging Solutions UK Limited pleaded guilty to breaching the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. The court in Hamilton imposed a fine of £433,333 and an additional victim surcharge of £32,500 on 20 January 2026.
HSE inspector Ingrid Grueso said: „This incident could have been completely avoidable. The company failed to properly plan the lifting operation or implement a safe working procedure.“
She added: „Mr King has suffered life-changing injuries, including permanent damage to his vision, hearing and facial muscles.“
She also emphasised: „Employers must ensure that lifting operations are planned and carried out safely by a competent person. This is particularly important for non-routine work with heavy or awkward loads.“
Source: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
