HSE | A waste and recycling company in Cumbria has been fined £60,000 after an employee was hit and killed by a reversing telehandler in Barrow-in-Furness.
Stuart Garnet, 44, was working at H. Wicks (Lindal) Limited’s waste and recycling facility when he was struck by a reversing telehandler on 12 May 2022. He subsequently died of his injuries.
The HSE’s investigation found that H. Wicks (Lindal) Limited failed to ensure the site was organised in such a way that pedestrians and vehicles could circulate in a safe manner.
H. Wicks (Lindal) Limited, of Scarth Road, Sowerby Woods Business Park, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
The company was fined £60,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,624.75. A statutory surcharge of £2,000 was also imposed.
HSE Principal Inspector Caroline Shorrock said: “Stuart Garnet’s death was an avoidable tragedy, and our thoughts are with his friends and family.”
“Every year, a significant number of workplace accidents, many of them serious and sometimes fatal, occur because of poor separation of pedestrians and vehicles.”
“Had the company implemented suitable separation measures, this fatal injury would not have occurred. The fine imposed on H. Wicks (Lindal) Limited should serve as a clear reminder to everyone in the waste and recycling industry that HSE will hold to account those who fail to keep their workers safe.”
This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Matthew Reynolds and paralegal officer Henrietta Ruthven.
