Newsroom
A Larnaca District Court has fined a metal recycling company €14,000 and handed a suspended four-month prison sentence to an individual over breaches of workplace safety regulations.
The ruling followed a criminal prosecution initiated by the Labor Inspection Department of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, which seeks to hold employers accountable for violations of occupational safety laws.
The case involved a serious workplace accident at K. Kyriacou Scrap Metals Ltd., a company engaged in metal collection and recycling. Court documents show the company failed to follow proper safety procedures while employees used a cable stripping machine, resulting in severe injuries to an employee’s left hand.
The court found that the company did not ensure the machine was safe for use, neglected to install protective guards or emergency stop mechanisms, and failed to provide clear instructions and training on the operation and maintenance of the equipment. Supervisory oversight during the cable-stripping process was also lacking, the Labor Inspection Department said.
The individual sentenced by the court received a four-month prison term, suspended for three years, for violations of safety regulations that caused serious injury and posed risks to other workers.
The Labor Inspection Department emphasized that the prosecution underscores the ministry’s commitment to enforcing occupational health and safety standards and protecting workers from preventable accidents.
