Major bus company fined after employee is crushed

Centrewest London Buses Ltd – part of the First Group based at Macmillan House, Paddington Station in Westminster – were fined £400,000 after one of their employees died in what one HSE inspector has described as an ‘entirely preventable’ accident.

The company was held to account at Southwark Crown Court on 16th December this year and they pleaded guilty to breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. In addition to the £400,000 fine they will also be made to pay court costs but these were to be determined at a later hearing.

The incident in question occurred on 18th May 2004 at Uxbridge Bus Garage in Bakers Court, Hillingdon. Robert Cherry, 59, from Ruislip, was preparing one of the buses and, as he stepped between two parked buses, the front bus lurched backwards, crushing him against the rear bus. Sadly, he died at the scene.

The HSE chose to prosecute Centrewest London Buses Ltd after their subsequent investigation revealed that a number of safety failings by the company had led to the incident. They found that traffic management and lighting at the garage was poor and that the base was oversubscribed with vehicles; it had been designed to house 65 buses but was actually being used as the base for 119 vehicles. Perhaps most significantly, a number of the buses, including the one that struck Mr Cherry, were found to have defective gear selectors. Further checks at the company’s other London garages showed that many of their vehicles suffered with both significant and minor faults.

Commenting on the court case, HSE inspector Bill Hazleton said: “Robert Cherry died because his employer did not do enough to ensure his safety or that of his colleagues. He was a much loved family member who was killed while going about his daily work. Like so many workplace accidents, this one was entirely preventable and should never have happened.”

Perry Leeks, Operations Director at First Response Training, says: “Health and safety training is an excellent way of helping employers determine what their risks are and how to manage them effectively. Training staff can help them to work safely which will save companies valuable time and money. We offer a range of accredited and bespoke Health and Safety training courses, all of which meet legal requirements and help employers avoid accidents.”

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