Tata Steel has again been prosecuted for safety failings – the third time in a year – along with a specialist contractor, after a worker was killed by a falling metal bar at a steelworks in Teeside.
Vesuvius UK Ltd was contracted to re-line a steelmaking furnace at the Redcar site of Teeside Cast Products, which is owned by Tata Steel UK Ltd.
On 12 April 2008, Vesuvius employee Kristian Norris, 29, was stood on a platform inside the furnace to realign some bricks. He was hit on the head by a two-foot-long metal pinch bar, which fell ten metres from a passenger and goods lift. He suffered serious head injuries and died in hospital later the same day.
The HSE investigated the incident and found the lift had holes in the floor and sides, which meant tools could fall out. Both companies were aware of this issue but failed to put in place adequate precautions to control the risks from falling tools.
HSE inspector Richard Bulmer said: “Kristian’s tragic death may have been prevented had Vesuvius UK and Tata Steel UK made simple and adequate provisions to protect employees working beneath work and lift platforms.
“The risks associated with work at height are well-known, as are the necessary safeguards. Yet, on this occasion, the precautions taken to prevent people, or objects from falling were wholly insufficient and sorely lacking.”
Vesuvius UK and Tata Steel UK appeared at Teeside Crown Court on 29 January and both pleaded guilty to breaching reg.10(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. Tata Steel was fined £120,000 and Vesuvius was fined £200,000. Each company was ordered to pay £24,020 in costs.
In mitigation, Vesuvius said it cooperated with the investigation and took immediate action to make the lift safe by covering the holes and installing guards.
After the hearing, a statement from the firm said: “In pleading guilty from the outset, we recognised that a deeply regrettable set of circumstances in the workplace on the day in question combined to result in Kristian Norris’s tragic death.”
A spokesman for Tata Steel added: “Our thoughts continue to be with the family and friends of Kristian Norris. Kristian’s accident was a great tragedy, and following a detailed and thorough investigation into the incident we, together with Vesuvius, took many measures to ensure that a similar incident can never happen again. €
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