Two firms fined after driver is fatally crushed whilst unloading vehicle
Two companies have been fined after a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) driver suffered fatal chest injuries whilst unstrapping a load on a trailer.
Andrew Bayley-Machin, aged 41 from Stoke-on-Trent, was fatally crushed after being hit by a pack of steel gates that fell three metres from a load on a flatbed trailer.
The vehicle had been loaded with the gates at Joseph Ash of Stafford Park 6 in Telford and driven by Bayley-Machin to the premises of his employer LM Bateman & Company in Cheddleton, Staffordshire when the incident happened on 20 June 2018.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that arrangements for planning and restraining loads were inadequate to ensure that the stability of goods was independent of the load straps, so that release of the straps did not allow the load to fall from the vehicle.
LM Bateman and Company pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 2 (1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. They were fined £120,000 and ordered to pay costs of £16,334 and a victim surcharge of £100 at North Staffordshire Justice Centre today (November 7).
Joseph Ash also pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 2(1) and 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. They were fined £244,500 and ordered to pay costs of £17,834 and a victim surcharge of £100.
Following the hearing, HSE inspector Wendy Campbell said: “This death would have been prevented had an effective system for managing load restraint been in place at both companies.
“This is a reminder to all companies of the need to properly assess and apply effective control measures when securing loads to minimise the risks from transporting goods on road vehicles.”
