Firm fined £100,000 after factory worker dies
13:49 - 12/03/2010
Firm fined £100,000 after factory wo...
Hannes Hinrichs has spoken out in support of the court ruling which saw a company fined £100,000 for the health and safety failings that led to his brother’s death.
Mr Hinrichs, who attended the hearing at Durham Crown Court, said he hoped the verdict “will help to protect other employees from such horrible accidents” and also commented that his brother’s death was especially tragic as “he was working on a project to improve safety at the time.”
Hannes’ brother, 38-year-old Jens Hinrichs, worked as a Project Engineer for Welsh-based firm Hydro Aluminium Extrusion Ltd, which specialises in supplying aluminium extrusion and fabricated products. On 2nd November 2006 he was working at the firm’s factory in Birtley and was positioned within a shuttle line that transported finished aluminium products from the packing stations to the banding machines.
It was while he was positioned in the enclosure that the German-born worker was knocked down by a shuttle car that ran along the tracks picking up completed items. Jens was rushed to hospital but was sadly pronounced dead on arrival.
Hydro Aluminium Extrusion Ltd pleaded guilty to a breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act etc (1974) and was ordered to pay costs of £13,375 in addition to their £100,000 fine. Hannes Hinrichs stated that his family was “confident in the way the English authorities handled this case.”
Commenting on the case, HSE Inspector Zoë Feather, said: “Employers who operate machinery are required to undertake a thorough assessment to identify the risks from machinery and put in place suitable precautions. If the company had properly risk assessed the shuttle line and implemented a system to safely enter into the shuttle enclosure this tragic incident would not have happened.”
Business Development Director, Darren Emery, says: “Workplace accidents claim a shocking number of lives every year, as well as costing industry thousands of pounds. It is important that employees of any company receive relevant health and safety training, but it is especially vital in a factory environment, or other situations which pose heightened levels of risk, such as construction sites.
“We can offer a wide range of health and safety and risk assessment courses, including the IOSH-accredited Working Safely and Managing Safely training courses, a Safety Representatives training course and Managing and Supervising Risk. These courses can form the basis for a well-managed health and safety system, and can help your company avoid prosecution and devastating accidents.”
For further information, please call us today.
Mr Hinrichs, who attended the hearing at Durham Crown Court, said he hoped the verdict “will help to protect other employees from such horrible accidents” and also commented that his brother’s death was especially tragic as “he was working on a project to improve safety at the time.”
Hannes’ brother, 38-year-old Jens Hinrichs, worked as a Project Engineer for Welsh-based firm Hydro Aluminium Extrusion Ltd, which specialises in supplying aluminium extrusion and fabricated products. On 2nd November 2006 he was working at the firm’s factory in Birtley and was positioned within a shuttle line that transported finished aluminium products from the packing stations to the banding machines.
It was while he was positioned in the enclosure that the German-born worker was knocked down by a shuttle car that ran along the tracks picking up completed items. Jens was rushed to hospital but was sadly pronounced dead on arrival.
Hydro Aluminium Extrusion Ltd pleaded guilty to a breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act etc (1974) and was ordered to pay costs of £13,375 in addition to their £100,000 fine. Hannes Hinrichs stated that his family was “confident in the way the English authorities handled this case.”
Commenting on the case, HSE Inspector Zoë Feather, said: “Employers who operate machinery are required to undertake a thorough assessment to identify the risks from machinery and put in place suitable precautions. If the company had properly risk assessed the shuttle line and implemented a system to safely enter into the shuttle enclosure this tragic incident would not have happened.”
Business Development Director, Darren Emery, says: “Workplace accidents claim a shocking number of lives every year, as well as costing industry thousands of pounds. It is important that employees of any company receive relevant health and safety training, but it is especially vital in a factory environment, or other situations which pose heightened levels of risk, such as construction sites.
“We can offer a wide range of health and safety and risk assessment courses, including the IOSH-accredited Working Safely and Managing Safely training courses, a Safety Representatives training course and Managing and Supervising Risk. These courses can form the basis for a well-managed health and safety system, and can help your company avoid prosecution and devastating accidents.”
For further information, please call us today.
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