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Company fined after employee dies in transport accident - 04-07-2008 |
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) warns employers to ensure they control the risks from workplace transport at their sites following the successful prosecution of a waste transfer company after one of their drivers died whilst emptying his vehicle on the site.
White Reclamation Ltd have been fined £50,000 and ordered to pay costs of £30,000 at Manchester Crown Court, after pleading guilty to breaching sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
Richard Buckley died when he was buried in waste at the site in Eccles on 21 July 2003. The Court heard that, at the time of the incident, no segregation of pedestrian or vehicles existed and that there was no marshal or traffic management system. During a subsequent visit by HSE Inspectors, they observed a significant lack of control of vehicle movements resulting in a serious risk to both pedestrians and other vehicles. As a result, immediate action had to be taken to minimise the risks.
Had basic health and safety precautions been observed and an adequate risk assessment been undertaken then it is most unlikely that such a fatality would not have occurred. It is the responsibility of companies to protect both employees and non-employees from the evident risks.
Speaking after the verdict, Paul Harvey, head of HSE's national group covering waste and recycling, said:
"Waste transfer stations are dangerous places. It is essential that vehicle movements are properly controlled and that shovel operators know where drivers are before approaching loads.
"Transport incidents account for about two thirds of all fatalities in an industry that has an unacceptably high incident rate. It is essential to ensure pedestrians are kept out of vehicle operating areas. Action will be taken by HSE if standards are deemed to be poor or inadequate."
| How to control workplace transport risks
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