A 29-year-old employee of C M Downton (Haulage Contractors) Ltd was fatally crushed when he was struck from behind by a Volvo shovel loader whilst working at UPM-Kymmene (UK) Limited’s Shotton Paper Mill, Mold Magistrates Court was told. The incident happened on 6 February 2017.
The HSE’s investigation discovered that no safe system of work was in place to segregate pedestrians and vehicles. It also found that drivers driving large shovel loaders had limited visibility.
C M Downton (Haulage Contractors) Limited of Moreton Valance, pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 2 (1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and was fined £350,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,613.90. Also ordered to pay £170 victim surcharge.
UPM-Kymmene (UK) Limited of Irvine, Ayrshire pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and was fined £350,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,711.90. Also ordered to pay £170 victim surcharge.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Mhairi Duffy said: “This death would have been prevented had an effective system for managing workplace transport been in place. This is a reminder to all employers to properly assess and apply effective control measures to minimise the risks from moving vehicles in their workplaces”.
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