Golf club fined after mower injury (From Cotswold Journal)

Golf club in Lower Brailes fined after mower injury

1:20pm Thursday 10th January 2013 in News By Freya Leng

A GOLF club near Shipston has been fined £5,000 after a golfer was injured by a lawn mower.

The accident happened at Feldon Valley Golf Club, just outside Lower Brailes, where a golfer suffered an injury to his left foot.

Neil Simpson, managing director of the club, pleaded guilty to the charges and the company was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay £4,000 costs and a £15 victim’s surcharge at a hearing at Leamington Spa Magistrates Court.

A greenkeeper was cutting grass on the 14th hole using a Ransomes 951D batwing ride on mower in June 2011, the court heard.

At the same time a golfer was at the hole in his golf buggy and parked in an area where the greenkeeper was planning to cut grass.

The greenkeeper turned the mower in a bid to avoid the area but lost power and rolled down the slope and collided with the golfer, trapping him between the buggy and the machine. The golfer was taken to hospital by ambulance and treated for a cut and soft tissue damage.

The incident was reported to the Health and Safety Executive’s Incident Contact Centre and Stratford District Council carried out an investigation.

It was found the company had identified the hand or park brake on the mower as ‘not working’, but failed to repair it.

Councillor Chris Williams, chairman of the regulatory committee, said the incident could have been prevented.

“Brakes on machinery such as this should be in good working order,” he said. “The fact that the company had identified a defect with the brake and failed to repair it is particularly disturbing.”

A spokesman for Feldon Valley said: “This was an unfortunate incident which occurred some 18 months ago. We reviewed our maintenance and management procedures immediately afterwards and are satisfied that such an accident would not recur.”