Sheffield manufacturer prosecuted after worker was crushed to death on site
A SHEFFIELD manufacturer of high-strength bar and cable systems has been prosecuted and fined after an employee died getting pulled into a machine.
Alan Gerrard from Rotherham was killed after his clothing was caught in a machine that applies adhesive tape to bars to prevent corrosion. He suffered fatal crush injuries at McCalls Special Products, trading as Macalloys, of Sheffield.
Mr Gerrard had only been at the firm for three weeks when the incident occurred in January 2013.
The father-of-two was an agency worker. Mr Gerrard’s wife, Debra, said: “I am completely devastated at losing Alan. He was my soul mate and we had been together for 25 years. We shared everything and had a very happy life. I miss him in all kinds of ways. He was my world.”
Macalloys of Caxton Way, Dinnington, Sheffield, pleaded guilty to breaches the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and was fined a total of £200,000. It must also pay £16,804 in costs.
Health and Safety Executive inspector Denise Fotheringham, who investigated and prosecuted this case for HSE, said: “The law requires that employers take all reasonable steps to guard against access to such dangerous parts of machinery.
“This risk associated with this machine should have been assessed by the company – and it was not. It should have been adequately guarded – and it was not. Simple safety precautions would have prevented this awful incident happening.”
