HSE investigators quiz glass crush bosses

From the The Bolton News, first published Sunday 26th Aug 2007.

HEALTH and safety investigators have quizzed bosses at a company where a delivery driver was crushed by a ton of glass.

Representatives from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have spoken to chiefs at Wigan-based HW Glass.

A member of their staff, 32-year-old Paul Ashurst, suffered serious injuries when 50 panes of glass fell on him as they were being unloaded from a lorry delivering to Diamond Glass Works in Brown Street, Bolton.

A spokesman for the HSE said: "We have spoken to the Wigan-based company as part of our inquiry, which is ongoing."

Paramedics and firefighters worked for an hour to release Mr Ashurst.

He suffered a broken leg and is now recovering after surgery at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

The sheets of toughened glass, which were bound together, cracked but did not shatter. It is understood that one piece of glass pierced his thigh.

Fire crews used special hydraulic lifting gear to release Mr Ashurst, who was given morphine at the scene by paramedics.

The emergency services cleared the roads on the way to the hospital at the time of the accident on Thursday, August 16, to get Mr Ashurst there as soon as possible.

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