Hampshire Waste Firm Fined £60,000 over Worker's Death

The Health and Safety Executive is warning companies that adequate risk assessments must be in place after an employee died after being hit by a vehicle at a waste transfer station.
Frederick Aubrey who worked for John Stacey and Sons died on 1st June 2007 at its Tadley facility in north Hampshire.
Mr Aubrey and two other employees were hand-sorting material in a process known as totting at the waste management and construction firm. A fourth employee was instructed to tip over a skip using a shovel loader and in doing so, reversed over Mr Aubrey, who died from his injuries 5 days later.
John Stacey and Sons appeared at Winchester Crown Court on July 29th 2009 and pleaded guilty to section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and regulations 3(1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 at a previous hearing at Basingstoke Magistrates Court on 29th June. The company was fined £60,000 and ordered to pay costs of £29,061, plus a victim surcharge of £15.
The HSE explained that the process of totting had only been carried out at the company for about 2 weeks before the incident occurred, and the company had not identified that this practice unnecessarily exposed employees to the risk of vehicles moving around them without protection to them.
HSE Inspector David Bibby said: "This case highlights the importance of assessing risks and putting adequate controls in place to protect pedestrians from vehicles, and the tragic consequences when this is not properly done."
"This should serve as a message to all companies, and especially those in the waste industry where unfortunately accidents like this are all too common, to ensure that risks from workplace transport are identified and suitable measures put in place to prevent accidents."