Logistics company fined £2.6m over death of employee
Logistics company DHL has been fined £2.6m over the death of an employee who was killed when a stack of car and lorry tyres collapsed at a warehouse in Coventry.
Robert Baynham, 50, was crushed to death as he worked at an office inside the storage facility in Coventry on 2 February 2016.
A tall stack of metal containers (stillages) containing car and truck tyres fell through an internal office roof.
The company admitted health and safety failings and was sentenced at Warwick Crown Court.
Another man suffered serious injuries and two other people were hurt during the same incident at DHL’s tyre distribution centre in Prologis business park.
Cllr Abdul Khan, cabinet member for policing and equalities at Coventry City Council, said: “Colleagues in our food and safety team worked closely with DHL staff and managers and the HSE during the course of their investigative work, lasting three and a half years, and identified a list of concerns and failings by the company.
“DHL have received a significant fine and probably the largest following a health and safety prosecution by the council. Most importantly lessons have been learned by DHL and safety management at the warehouse has improved.”
A Coroner’s Inquest held in April last year had already found that the cause of the death included the absence of a takeover audit, absence of risk assessments and lack of staff training.
At the inquest the jury heard that the high volume of tyres being stored in the area close to the porta cabin office, and the risk of fork lift truck forks colliding with stillage stacks should have featured in risk assessments.
Coventry City Council said its investigation highlighted some key concerns and failings by the company.
“In short, the company fundamentally and systematically failed to manage health and safety at the site and the accident was the product of a multi-layered systemic failure of DHL management,” it said.
A DHL spokesperson said it accepted the judge’s findings and fine.
“Once again we offer our sincere condolences to Mr Baynham’s family and our regrets for the injuries sustained by the three other colleagues,” a statement said.
