A sheriff has criticised a Fife company's health and safety practices after a worker was left with horrific injuries caused by a runaway four-tonne roll of paper.

Tullis Russell Papermakers Ltd has been fined £50,000 over the incident, which left Steven Thompson needing major surgery to repair the pelvic injuries he suffered.

It is likely only a fraction of the fine will ever be handed over, however, because the Markinch-based firm is in administration and already owes millions of pounds to creditors and staff.

Mr Thompson was left with a shattered pelvis after the four-tonne roll of paper was allowed to drop to the ground and roll away as other workers tried to separate it in to two smaller rolls.

Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court heard the method being used by workers to separate the paper that day was to lift the large roll up on a fork lift before releasing it from a clamp, allowing it to fall to the floor in the hope it would break in two.

The court heard that at times this method led to the rolls careering into stacked rolls of paper or pillars at the factory. In this instance, the roll got away and hit Mr Thompson, who had no chance to escape from its path.

Fiscal depute Brian Duffy told the court the roll of paper weighed 3.93 metric tonnes.

He said after crushing Mr Thompson against a wall, the paper then rolled back and released him, prompting him to fall to the floor.

The court was told Mr Thompson had suffered a double pelvic fracture which required emergency surgery and an "open reduction internal fixation" to repair, including the use of two plates and eight screws.

Tullis Russell Papermakers Ltd pleaded guilty on indictment to a charge under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

Defence solicitor Clare Bone confirmed the company is in administration, adding: "Clearly depending on the level of the fines, that will impact the money available to pay a dividend to those staff from the administrator."

Sheriff James Williamson imposed a fine of £50,000.

He said: "These practices are Heath Robinson-esque. These rolls of paper were allowed to either drop to the ground or roll along it, and they could roll in multiple directions.

"Consequently crushing is exactly what happened to Mr Thompson. It is clear this was not a low-risk situation, it was a high-risk practice.

"Any fine I impose will potentially diminish the dividend that will be paid to workers from the administrators and I have to bear that in mind."

The case is the second time in recent years the 200-year-old firm has faced court over health and safety failings at it's plant.

In 2011, it was fined £260,000 after roofer Thomas Sturrock fell 50ft through an asbestos cement roof to his death in September 2008.

The company went into administration in April last year, immediately axing 300 workers.

Download: The STV News app is Scotland's favourite and is available for iPhone from the App store and for Android from Google Play. Download it today and continue to enjoy STV News wherever you are.