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12/11/2008
Company Fined £80,000 After Worker's Death
A company has been fined £80,000 following the death of a mechanical baler operator.
The Scotts Company (UK) Ltd of Godalming, Surrey, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to a breach of Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, and was today fined £80,000 and ordered to pay costs of £19,962 at Sheffield Crown Court.
The prosecution follows an unwitnessed incident at the company's premises at Stainforth Moor Peat Works, Thorne near Doncaster on 2 March 2006.
An experienced baler operator was fatally injured after becoming trapped by hydraulic equipment within an area used for bailing when he apparently entered the enclosure and inadvertently activated a sensor, which started up the machinery.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have warned employers of the dangers of allowing workers unguarded access to dangerous machinery after a man was found dead at work.
After the hearing, HSE inspector Richard Noble said: "This was a tragic incident which could have been avoided if the baler enclosure had been properly secured to prevent access.
"Employers have a duty of care to their employees and it is not good enough at any time to rely on temporary or makeshift arrangements in the hope that these will be adequate for safe working."
He concluded: "When any repair work or new installation is undertaken risk assessments must be updated and appropriate measures taken to ensure the safety of employees."
(JM)
The Scotts Company (UK) Ltd of Godalming, Surrey, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to a breach of Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, and was today fined £80,000 and ordered to pay costs of £19,962 at Sheffield Crown Court.
The prosecution follows an unwitnessed incident at the company's premises at Stainforth Moor Peat Works, Thorne near Doncaster on 2 March 2006.
An experienced baler operator was fatally injured after becoming trapped by hydraulic equipment within an area used for bailing when he apparently entered the enclosure and inadvertently activated a sensor, which started up the machinery.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have warned employers of the dangers of allowing workers unguarded access to dangerous machinery after a man was found dead at work.
After the hearing, HSE inspector Richard Noble said: "This was a tragic incident which could have been avoided if the baler enclosure had been properly secured to prevent access.
"Employers have a duty of care to their employees and it is not good enough at any time to rely on temporary or makeshift arrangements in the hope that these will be adequate for safe working."
He concluded: "When any repair work or new installation is undertaken risk assessments must be updated and appropriate measures taken to ensure the safety of employees."
(JM)
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