Puma Engineering was fined after admitting falling short of health and safety rules.

A Totton-based firm has been fined after an employee lost his leg in a collision with a forklift.

According to the Daily Echo, Puma Engineering and Construction was fined GBP8,000 (USD10,000) by district judge Loraine Morgan after admitting falling short of health and safety rules.

Employee David White was rushed to hospital and put on life support after his leg was struck by the wheel of a truck.

The incident took place while White was at the company's site in Brunel Road, Totton.

He was helping to steady a load of heavy pipework attached to a forklift as it moved across the yard. But, as he walked alongside the forklift, the left-hand wheel went into the back of his left heel.

He spent four weeks in hospital and had four operations, including the amputation of his leg below the knee.

An investigation was launched by the HSE, which said the use of a banksman to guide forklift loads had become a "daily occurrence" and this created an "unsafe system of work".

The company pleaded guilty to failing to ensure White was not exposed to health and safety risks.