Multinational steelmaker fined £240,000 after lorry driver crushed by three tonnes of steel

Published HSE, April 2010

A multinational steelmaker has been fined £240,000 after a lorry driver was crushed to death at its site in Staffordshire.

The firm was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after three tonnes of steel plates fell on a 22-year-old man.

The company was also ordered to pay £112,500 costs at Stafford Crown Court after it pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

The court heard how on 4 January 2007, the deceased, who was employed by a Transport company, was helping to load steel plates onto a lorry. An employee of the Steelmaker was operating a crane to lift a three-tonne pack of steel from a trailer, however, the load was not level, and as it was lifted it fell on top the man and killed him.

An HSE investigation showed the system of work for loading steel was unsafe. Not all the individual tasks involved had been evaluated and there was scope for misunderstanding between workers.

HSE inspector Dr Wai-Kin Liu said:

"This was a tragedy that could and should have been avoided. All the steps involved in an overall task should be analysed to create a safe system of work, and the consequences of something going wrong should always be taken into account.

"Anyone can make errors - no matter how well trained and motivated they are - but employers must develop a safe way of working that helps to prevent mistakes and reduces the severity of the consequences if they do occur. If the Steelmaker had a safe system of working then the deceased would not have been killed simply doing his job."

Notes to editors

• Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 states: "It shall be the duty of every employer to conduct his undertaking in such a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that persons not in his employment who may be affected thereby are not thereby exposed to risks to their health or safety."
• HSE information and news releases can be accessed on the Internet http://www.hse.gov.uk.
• Visit http://nds.coi.gov.uk for Press Notices issued on behalf of all Government Departments.

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