East Kilbride packaging company fined over £400,000 after worker suffers life-changing head injury

An East Kilbride packaging company has been fined more than £400,000 after a worker suffered a life-changing head injury when a 4.5-ton machine fell on him.

Matthew King was working for Multi Packaging Solutions UK Limited as part of a team relocating the machine from a warehouse to a storage area on October 31, 2023.

The machine had no lifting or anchoring points, therefore, workers developed an improvised system lifting the machine 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.

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.

The 39-year-old suffered a severe skull fracture, bruising to his head and nerve damage to the left side of his face.

He has been left with permanent double vision, loss of peripheral vision, facial palsy and hearing loss. Mr King is unable to drive and has required multiple surgeries and ongoing mental health support.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found that the lifting operation had not been properly planned by a competent person.

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.

Nottingham-based Multi Packaging Solutions UK Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 8(1)(a) and (c) of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998, which requires lifting operations to be properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised, and carried out safely.

The company was fined £433,333 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £32,500 at Hamilton Sheriff Court on 20 January 2026.

HSE inspector, Ingrid Grueso, said: “This incident was entirely preventable. The company failed to properly plan the lifting operation or implement a safe system of work.

“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.

“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.”