At approximately 08:47 on 4 February 2026, Ian Morecroft (Fabrication Operative, Grade 3) sustained an injury to his lower back while manually moving a steel fabrication jig weighing approximately 42 kg in Workshop Bay 3. Mr Morecroft had been attempting to reposition the jig from a floor-level pallet onto a workbench without mechanical lifting assistance. He did not use the overhead gantry hoist fitted in Bay 3, citing that it was in use by a colleague for a separate task. Mr Morecroft reported immediate onset of acute lower back pain and was unable to continue work. He was escorted to the site first-aid room by Shift Supervisor Gary Lockwood at 08:52. The on-site first aider assessed the injury and called 999 at 09:10 due to worsening symptoms. Mr Morecroft was transported to Princess Royal Hospital, Telford, by ambulance at 09:25. He was diagnosed with a lumbar muscle strain and minor disc compression and was signed off work for a minimum of four weeks.

1. Mr Morecroft was removed from Workshop Bay 3 immediately and first aid was administered on-site. 2. Emergency services were called at 09:10 and Mr Morecroft was transported to hospital by ambulance. 3. Workshop Bay 3 was cordoned off pending investigation and the jig was secured in place. 4. The incident was verbally reported to the Site Health and Safety Manager (Sandra Okafor) at 09:00 and formally notified to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) under RIDDOR 2013 on 4 February 2026 (Reference: HSE-RIDDOR-2026-11874). 5. All manual handling activities in Workshop Bay 3 were suspended pending a risk assessment review. 6. Mr Morecroft's next of kin were notified at 09:30.

Primary cause: Failure to follow the site Manual Handling Procedure (SHE-P-004, Rev 2) which requires mechanical lifting assistance for loads exceeding 25 kg. Mr Morecroft confirmed he was aware of the procedure but considered the move to be a quick, short-distance task. Contributing factors: - The sole overhead gantry hoist in Bay 3 was in use at the time of the incident, creating a perceived operational bottleneck that encouraged unsafe ad hoc lifting. - A toolbox talk on manual handling conducted in November 2025 did not include a practical demonstration or competency check for operatives working with heavy fabrication components. - The risk assessment for Bay 3 workbench loading tasks (RA-BAY3-001) had not been reviewed since March 2024 and did not reflect the addition of heavier jig stock introduced in September 2025.

1. Install a second overhead gantry hoist in Workshop Bay 3 to eliminate single-point bottlenecks for heavy lifting tasks. Target completion: 28 February 2026. Owner: Operations Manager (D. Hartington). 2. Conduct a refresher manual handling training session for all Bay 3 operatives, including a practical competency assessment. Target completion: 14 February 2026. Owner: Health and Safety Officer (S. Okafor). 3. Review and update risk assessment RA-BAY3-001 to reflect current load weights and introduce a mandatory pre-lift checklist. Target completion: 11 February 2026. Owner: Health and Safety Officer (S. Okafor). 4. Brief all shift supervisors on enforcement of mechanical assistance requirements and the escalation procedure when equipment is unavailable. Target completion: 7 February 2026. Owner: Site Manager (P. Fairweather). 5. Review all site risk assessments for manual handling tasks to identify any others that have not been updated within the 12-month review cycle. Target completion: 31 March 2026. Owner: Health and Safety Officer (S. Okafor).

1. First Aid Record – Bay 3 First Aid Room Log, 4 February 2026 2. RIDDOR Notification Confirmation – HSE Reference HSE-RIDDOR-2026-11874 3. Risk Assessment RA-BAY3-001 (current version, March 2024) 4. Manual Handling Procedure SHE-P-004 Rev 2 5. Workshop Bay 3 Site Photographs (8 images, taken 4 February 2026 09:45) 6. Witness Statement – Trevor Baines, dated 4 February 2026 7. Witness Statement – Sandra Okafor, dated 4 February 2026