QinetiQ Ltd has been fined £800,000 after an employee was shot during testing of ammunition at a Ministry of Defence range in South Wales.

The incident, which took place in March 2021 during a NATO ammunition quality assurance trial at the MoD's Pendine ranges, left the individual paralysed from the shoulders down after he was shot by a 5.56mm bullet fired from a gun, 570 metres away.

The individual's role had been to check the impact of bullets on a metal target. He had been positioned in front of the target at the time the bullet was fired.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found QinetiQ Limited had failed to adequately risk assess the trial activity, and therefore lacked adequate precautions to ensure that no one was near the target when the rounds were fired.

Hampshire-based QinetiQ pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was fined £800,000 and ordered to pay £8,365 in costs at Llanelli Magistrates Court.

HSE principal specialist inspector Stuart Charles said the employee’s life, and those of his wife and two children, had been devastated by his injuries. “Simple and inexpensive steps could have been taken which would have prevented this incident,” he added. “This case shows employers the importance of continually assessing the way they work and not just accepting historical practices.”

The HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement Lawyer Julian White and paralegal officer Imogen Isaac.

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