A Bridgend recycling firm has been ordered to pay £250,000
in fines and £53,100 in costs after a 21 year-old worker was crushed to death
when he was struck by a skip lorry on a weighbridge he was cleaning.
Geraint Eagle, of Nant–Y-Moel, near Bridgend, was cleaning
sensors on the weighbridge at the waste site run by Nolan Recycling Ltd at The
Old Quarry, Stormy Down, Pyle, when the incident happened on 2 December 2010.
Cardiff Crown Court heard today (25 September) that Mr
Eagle, who had only worked at the site for six months, suffered fatal head
injuries when he was hit by the lorry as he lay on the bridge to chip mud off
the sensors – completely unseen by the driver.
The incident was investigated by the Health and Safety
Executive (HSE), which prosecuted Nolan Recycling for serious safety breaches.
The court was told that Mr Eagle had been told to clean mud
off the sensors on the weighbridge and, as he had not done the job before, he
worked alongside a more experienced worker who also looked out for traffic.
However after taking a break, he returned to work alone.
A skip lorry drove onto the weighbridge where Mr Eagle was
lying prone and chipping away at the hard mud. He picked up his tools and moved
out of the way. The driver briefly got out of his cab and went into the site
office, returned and drove on, unaware Mr Eagle had returned to his work on the
weighbridge.
The lorry hit the young worker, and he died at the scene.
Geraint Eagle had been in a total blind spot to the driver when he decided to
return to his work.
The HSE investigation uncovered a series of failings by
Nolan Recycling Ltd. The company failed:
- to appreciate the risks associated with the site
- to give full instructions, guidance and training to staff
- to monitor and supervise staff, particularly Geraint Eagle
- to devise a transport policy to segregate people from vehicles, and
- to provide a system of proper maintenance for equipment like the weighbridge
- to prepare a health and safety plan
HSE said there was nothing to stop lorry drivers driving on
or off the weighbridge despite the maintenance work taking place. A suitable
risk assessment for the work would have identified the potential dangers of
lorries mixing with pedestrians on the site. NEBOSH
National General Certificate in Occupational Health & Safety
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