A paper packaging manufacturer has been fined £433,333 after a worker suffered a severe skull fracture and permanent injuries when a 4.5-ton machine fell on him during a lifting operation at a site in East Kilbride.
Matthew King was working for Multi Packaging Solutions UK Limited on 31 October 2023 when he was struck on the head while working underneath the machine. The 39-year-old sustained a severe skull fracture, bruising to his head and nerve damage to the left side of his face, and has been left with permanent double vision, loss of peripheral vision, facial palsy and hearing loss.
He is unable to drive and has required multiple surgeries as well as ongoing mental health support, according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
The incident happened while Mr King was part of a team relocating the machine from a warehouse to a storage area around 160 metres away. The machine, which weighed approximately 4.5 tons and measured 1.56 by 4.15 metres, had no lifting or anchoring points.
Improvised Method Used to Move Heavy Machine
The HSE said workers had improvised a system to move the machine, lifting it with a forklift, placing skates underneath and pulling it forward.
The machine had already slid off the forks on at least two occasions before the incident, the regulator said.
At the time of the accident, Mr King was positioned underneath the suspended machine to secure a wheel on its underside when it slid from the forks and struck him on the head.
HSE Found Lifting Operation Not Properly Planned
An HSE investigation found the lifting operation had not been properly planned by a competent person and that no safe system of work had been put in place.
The characteristics of the load, including its weight, size, centre of gravity and lifting points, had not been adequately assessed, the HSE said. Moving a machine of this size and weight was not a regular task at the site and there was no established system of work for it.
HSE guidance on planning and organising lifting operations states that it is important to properly resource, plan and organise lifting operations so they are carried out in a safe manner.
Multi Packaging Solutions UK Limited, of Phoenix Centre, Nottingham, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 8(1)(a) and (c) of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998.
At Hamilton Sheriff Court on 20 January 2026, the company was fined £433,333 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £32,500.
Company Fined After Guilty Plea
HSE inspector Ingrid Grueso said the incident could have been avoided if the company had properly planned the lifting operation and implemented a safe system of work.
“This incident was entirely preventable. The company failed to properly plan the lifting operation or implement a safe system of work,” she said.
Grueso said Mr King had been left with injuries affecting his eyesight, hearing and facial movement.
“Mr King has been left with life-changing injuries including permanent damage to his eyesight, hearing and facial movement. He has had to sell his car as he can no longer drive safely and now relies on his wife to transport him and their three children,” she said.
“Employers must ensure that lifting operations are properly planned by a competent person and carried out safely. This is especially important for non-routine tasks involving heavy or awkward loads.”