HSE WM/474/08 06 February 2008

HSE reminds employers of their legal duties after scrapyard worker is killed and employer is fined £200,000

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is warning employers to ensure they have suitable controls in place to prevent people being struck by moving vehicles. The warning follows HSE’s prosecution of a Coventry scrap and recycling business, after a worker was killed. 

Easco (Midlands) Limited was fined £200,000 and ordered to pay £55,000 costs at Coventry Crown Court, on Monday 5th February, after pleading guilty to breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

On 14th June 2005, Mr Ronald Barnacle, 58, who was working as a burner at the company’s site in Ibstock Road, Longford, Coventry was killed when he was struck by a reversing skip lorry.

Speaking after the case HSE Inspector Jenny Skeldon said: "Scrapyard owners need to ensure that they make a suitable and sufficient risk assessment of the movement of vehicles and pedestrians on site and, identify and implement appropriate control measures to prevent people being struck by moving vehicles. In this case, particularly between March 2004 and December 2005, there were inadequate precautions in place to segregate pedestrians from vehicles, despite previous warnings from HSE at other sites within the Easco group.

"Had basic health and safety precautions been observed it is most unlikely that such a fatality would have occurred."

Notes to editors:

1. Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 states, "It shall be the duty of very employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees.”
2. HSE statistics highlight transport as the second biggest cause of work-related deaths, after falls from height. Every year, around 70 people are killed in transport-related accidents in the workplace and around eight of those involve Fork Lift Trucks. Of 2,249 reported accidents in one year, involving Fork Lift Trucks, 626 caused major injuries, including amputations and broken bones
3. HSE published the latest annual work related fatal injury statistics on 26 July 2007 which can be viewed at: www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/fatals.htm
4. More guidance and advice is available on HSE’s website at http://www.hse.gov.uk/workplacetransport/

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