A self-employed contractor has been sentenced after an
employee was killed when the trench he was working in collapsed on him.
Swansea Magistrates’ Court heard how William Ryan Evans was
contracted to construct a drainage field comprising of infiltration pipes laid
at the bottom of deep trenches. He employed two workers and a subcontractor
excavator to undertake the work at Longstone Farm, in Pembrokeshire.
Hywel Glyndwr Richards, aged 54, entered the trench to remove a
clump of soil that had fallen into the trench when it collapsed, burying him.
He died at the scene.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into
the incident which occurred on 26 June 2012 found that the work was not planned
appropriately and the risk assessment was not suitable or sufficient. The
workers were not appropriately trained and suitable equipment to a prevent
collapse were not provided.
At Swansea Crown Court on Monday 11 April, William Ryan Evans,
of Blaenwaun Twr, Trelech, Carmarthenshire was found guilty of breaching
Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was given a six
month custodial sentence.
HSE Inspector Phil Nicolle said: “This tragic incident could
have been prevented by undertaking a suitable and sufficient assessment of the
risks, providing the correct equipment or safe working methods to the workers
and managing and monitoring the work to ensure it was done safely.
“Work in excavations needs to be properly planned, managed and
monitored to ensure no one enters an excavation deeper than 1.2m without
adequate controls in place to prevent a collapse.”
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