Company fined £80,000 after employee is crushed to death
09:40 - 15/02/2010
Company fined £80,000 after employee...
A Bridgend-based construction company have been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after a young male employee was killed while working at a site in Gloucestershire.
Lance Taylor, from Bristol, was just 23 years old when he was killed in an accident at the construction site in Abbeymead, Gloucester, on 11th February 2005. He was driving a mini digger – which he was not qualified to operate – when he unintentionally hit a lever as he leaned out of the cab window. This caused the digging arm of the vehicle to rise up and his head was crushed between the cab and the arm. He suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene.
On 15th January this year Mr Taylor’s employers, Macob Administration Ltd, pleaded guilty to contravening Regulation 9(1) and 28(a) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. They were fined £40,000 for each of these charges and were forced to pay a further £29,798.14 in costs. The court also ordered the company to pay an additional £15 victim surcharge, the proceeds of which will be spent on services for victims and witnesses.
Commenting on the case, HSE inspector, Martin Lee, said: "This terrible incident highlights the extremely serious risks posed by equipment and vehicles on sites if the workers using them don't have adequate training or are not versed in safe working procedures. […] It is imperative that on any construction site using plant and machinery there are systems in place to control access to the vehicles. Construction site managers need to know which workers on site are qualified to operate the machinery and that their control systems are working effectively."
Perry Leeks, Operations Director, 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.”
In addition to our direct provision health and safety training, we also offer over 40 E-learning titles, which can complement practical courses and are perfect for induction or refresher training. Please call us today for further information on any of our training courses.
Lance Taylor, from Bristol, was just 23 years old when he was killed in an accident at the construction site in Abbeymead, Gloucester, on 11th February 2005. He was driving a mini digger – which he was not qualified to operate – when he unintentionally hit a lever as he leaned out of the cab window. This caused the digging arm of the vehicle to rise up and his head was crushed between the cab and the arm. He suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene.
On 15th January this year Mr Taylor’s employers, Macob Administration Ltd, pleaded guilty to contravening Regulation 9(1) and 28(a) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. They were fined £40,000 for each of these charges and were forced to pay a further £29,798.14 in costs. The court also ordered the company to pay an additional £15 victim surcharge, the proceeds of which will be spent on services for victims and witnesses.
Commenting on the case, HSE inspector, Martin Lee, said: "This terrible incident highlights the extremely serious risks posed by equipment and vehicles on sites if the workers using them don't have adequate training or are not versed in safe working procedures. […] It is imperative that on any construction site using plant and machinery there are systems in place to control access to the vehicles. Construction site managers need to know which workers on site are qualified to operate the machinery and that their control systems are working effectively."
Perry Leeks, Operations Director, 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.”
In addition to our direct provision health and safety training, we also offer over 40 E-learning titles, which can complement practical courses and are perfect for induction or refresher training. Please call us today for further information on any of our training courses.
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