An engineering firm has been fined after a 20-year-old worker was left disabled when a metal sheet landed on his feet - severing three toes and breaking five others.

Anton Hunter, an engineer with G&P Machine Shop Ltd in Queenborough, was helping a colleague unload a delivery of fabricated steel sheets at a nearby site when a 700kg sheet became dislodged from a magnet and fell directly on his feet.

His big toe and the next two on his right foot were sliced off and he suffered fractures to all the toes on his left foot.

He has since had the second toe on the left foot amputated due to his big toe shifting following surgery.

Mr Hunter, from Sheerness, has since returned to work in a reduced capacity but is still regaining his walking skills.

The incident on February 17 last year was investigated by the Health and Safety Executive, which prosecuted G&P Machine Shop at Maidstone Magistrates' Court after finding the firm failed to check the magnet used was the correct one for the job.

"Anton Hunter, a young engineer, had his life put on hold after suffering a debilitating injury that may impair his ability to walk for the foreseeable future..." - Rob Hassell, HSE inspector

Yesterday, the court heard that the two workers had unloaded two smaller metal sheets successfully but a third had become detached from the magnet and fallen.

The two men believed the failure was due to the cloth around the magnet so they removed it and started unloading the larger 700kg sheets.

One lift was achieved but the second failed mid-way and the sheet slipped from the magnet just as Mr Hunter jumped down from the back of the delivery vehicle and was helping to guide it.

HSE found that the magnet, which had been on hire to G&P Machine Shop for a month, was not designed for the size and weight of the sheets involved.

Both had a 12mm depth whereas instructions for the magnet stated that anything less than 20mm should not have been lifted and the maximum weight was 400kg.

G&P Machine Shop Ltd of Argent Road, Queensborough, Sheerness, Kent, was fined £16,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1,036 after admitting a breach of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Rob Hassell said: "Anton Hunter, a young engineer, had his life put on hold after suffering a debilitating injury that may impair his ability to walk for the foreseeable future.

"The incident could have been prevented if G&P Machine Shop had carried out suitable checks to ensure the lift was within the operating capacities of the magnet.

"Instead, it seems that in an attempt to improve deliveries, an entirely inappropriate piece of lifting equipment was chosen.

"Companies should ensure the equipment they want to use is fit for its intended purpose. Manuals for lifting devices are available to download or direct from the makers.

"The safe working load of lifting equipment is a maximum capacity in optimum conditions – any deviation needs to be investigated and tested."