Man, 22, fatally injured by falling boxes

Tomas Suchy, 22, an employee of Interfish Limited, was helping to clear up a fallen stack of frozen fish boxes in one of the cold store areas when there was another fall of stock which struck him. He received multiple and severe injuries which proved fatal.

                                       Stacked boxes at Interfish Limited

Interfish Limited, of Wallsend Industrial Estate, Cattedown Wharves, Plymouth, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. At Plymouth Crown Court today, it was fined £500,000 and ordered to pay costs of £24,800.

                         Fallen boxes at Interfish Limited

HSE inspector Emma O’Hara said after the hearing: “Safe stacking of stock is a cross-industry necessity and can often be overlooked when considering safe systems of work. Duty holders need to ensure that they are stacking safely and that they have a plan for dealing with any unforeseen circumstances such as a fall of stock.”