A CONTRACTOR who was working on a five-tonne saw when it toppled on to a worker has been ordered to carry out unpaid work.

Two firms had both gone on trial denying health and safety failings after a worker was hit by the toppling machinery on site.

After two hours and 52 minutes of deliberations jurors at Oxford Crown Court found Stoneworld Oxfordshire and G J Harris Engineering Services guilty in February.

Last week a judge fined Stoneworld £10,000 and ordered that £20,000 be paid back in court costs for the failing.

READ AGAIN: Oxfordshire firm Stoneworld fined after worker struck by toppling five-tonne Pellegrini saw.

Gerald Harris, 64, was sentenced for his role in the incident at the same court yesterday.

During the case prosecutors said that Stoneworld had purchased and wanted to install the five-tonne Pellegrini wire cut saw at its Great Milton site.

The company - which create various interior & exterior stone-made works - contracted another firm G J Harris Engineering Services to install the equipment.

On November 9 2016 while the machinery was being installed, an employee of Stoneworld - Andrew Caffyn - was walking by on his lunch break.

As he did so and while contractor Gerald Harris worked on the large equipment it began to topple, before striking Mr Caffyn, injuring him.

For his role Harris was sentenced by Judge Nigel Daly yesterday.

He was made subject to a community order for 18 months.

As part of that order he must complete 180 hours of unpaid work and pay £1,000 costs and a statutory victim surcharge.