Galvanizer fined £566,666 after chain failure sent molten zinc wave over worker

Wedge Group Galvanizing Limited has been fined £566,666 after a damaged and uninspected lifting chain failed at its Crediton plant in Devon, dropping a steel beam into a galvanizing bath and sending a wave of molten zinc over a worker.

Bristol Magistrates Court also ordered the company to pay £15,521 in costs on 14 October 2026, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said. The company, of Stafford Street, Willenhall, West Midlands, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

The incident happened on 12 October 2021 at the company's site at Marsh End, Lords Meadow Industrial Estate, Crediton, Mid Devon. A lifting chain carrying a steel joist weighing nearly three tonnes failed and the beam fell into the galvanizing bath. The resulting wave of molten zinc covered the 33-year-old worker, hit a wall and surged back along the floor towards him, according to HSE.

HSE inspector Alexander Ashen said: "It is shocking that an industry-leading firm,, with considerable resources at its disposal, should risk the lives of its workers with substandard inspection protocols."

The injuries

The worker was flown by air ambulance to Southmead hospital in Bristol with 40 per cent burns. He spent 11 days in intensive care and had 13 operations, HSE said. During his treatment he suffered infection and sepsis, which left him with multiple long-term health conditions.

Ashen said: "This wholly-avoidable incident led to a young man having to endure truly terrible injuries".

What the investigation found

HSE's investigation found that the set of chains used to lift the beam showed signs of damage and deterioration, and that the company had failed to withdraw them from use. The chains had also not undergone their mandatory regular inspection.

The slinging arrangement used for the lift was incorrect, HSE said, which meant the load exceeded the safe limit for the chains. The company's risk assessment for "immersion & swilling" made no reference to checks on chains or to the type of sling configuration to use.

HSE said both the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) code of practice and the chain manufacturer's user manual state that chain slings used in acidic environments, such as zinc galvanizing, should be inspected before each day's use.

The rules

Under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER), HSE guidance says that unless an examination scheme specifies otherwise, lifting accessories must be thoroughly examined every six months and other lifting equipment every 12 months. LOLER applies to all businesses whose employees use lifting equipment, whether or not they own it.

HSE's guidance adds that lifting accessories do not normally need formal inspection provided proper pre-use checks are made and they undergo their standard thorough examination. Where a thorough examination finds a defect that is or could become a danger to people, the employer must ensure the equipment is not used until the defect is remedied.

The regulator's guidance on planning lifting operations says the plan for any lift must address the foreseeable risks involved in the work.

The company

Wedge's website lists South West Galvanizers Ltd, based in Crediton, as one of its plants, providing a hot dip galvanizing service around Devon, Cornwall and Somerset. The company traces its history to 1869 and describes itself as operating a nationwide network of 14 galvanizing plants and the first truly national hot-dip galvanizing group.

The sentence

HSE said it does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect fines. Courts must follow the relevant sentencing guidelines unless satisfied that doing so would be contrary to the interests of justice.

Under the Sentencing Council guideline for health and safety offences by organisations, the court sets a starting point for the fine by reference to the organisation's annual turnover, with a large organisation defined as one with turnover of £50m and over.

The prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Gemma Zakrzewski, paralegal officer Farhat Basir and enforcement advocate Rowena Goodwin.