COMPANIES across East Renfrewshire are being warned to take their safety responsibilities seriously...or face paying a heavy price.

The hard-hitting message has been delivered by officials at the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after a Barrhead firm was fined £20,000 for breaching safety regulations.

As revealed by the Barrhead News earlier this month, Recycled Packaging Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

The company, based in Muriel Street, ended up in the dock at Paisley Sheriff Court after a worker was left with a fractured skull in a horror accident.

Wojciech Szcysprior got trapped under a bale of paper that fell on him at a plant in Inchinnan, run by Recycled Packaging Ltd.

Colleagues heard Mr Szcysprior screaming for help and a forklift truck had to be used to remove the bale.

Now the HSE is hoping that case will act as a deterrent to any other firms which could be guilty of lapses in safety.

Jane Scott, an inspector with HSE, said: “In the waste and recycling sector, the risks associated with falling objects are well known. This incident could easily have been avoided by providing a segregated workspace for operatives to clean bales before they are stacked and safe bale stacking procedures.

“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standard.”