A construction company has been fined £700,000 after an employee was changing over a blade on a piece of work equipment at the side of a roadway when he was run over by a six-tonne dumper truck. The employee sustained serious pelvic injuries and died as a result.
During the HSE (Health and Safety Investigation) investigation, they found that the company failed to adequately assess the risks to their employees whilst they were repairing and replacing equipment. They failed to provide a system of work in relation to this task which defined a place or places where such work could be carried out safely and which segregated people from vehicles. HSE Inspector Penny Falconer said: “This tragic incident led to the avoidable death of a man. This death could easily have been prevented if his employer had acted to identify and manage the risks involved, and to put a safe system of work in place.”
The company was fined £700,000 after pleading guilty to breaching Sections 2 and 33(1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.