A tipping trailer company has been fined £200,000 following the death of a worker who fell from a mobile elevated working platform (MEWP).
On 18th February 2016, Colin Sale, aged 64, was working at Fruehauf Ltd, in Grantham. Mr Sale was climbing from the basket of the MEWP onto an overhead travelling crane in order to repair it but attempted to complete the task without the use of a suitable harness or fall arrest equipment.
An investigation following the incident by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) showed that the company had failed to implement a safe system of work for accessing the overhead cranes in the factory. The investigation also found that there was no appropriate management arrangements in place for controlling, monitoring and reviewing the safety of maintenance tasks. Records showed that no risk assessment had been carried out prior to the task being attempted.
Fruehauf Limited pleaded guilty of being in breach of Regulation 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, and Regulations 3(1) and 5(1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. Fruehauf Limited were fined £200,000, with further costs of £5,622.
On the case, HM inspector, Martin Giles, said: “Those in control of work have a responsibility to devise safe methods of working and to provide the necessary information, instruction and training to their workers in the safe system of working. This incident could have been prevented had Fruehauf Ltd provided appropriate supervision and suitable fall-arrest equipment for their workers to wear and use.
Source: SHP Online, £200k fine following fall death, 17th August 2017. Read the full article online.