Company fined after employee killed by telehandler
HandoutA waste company has been fined £60,000 after an employee was killed by machinery.
Stuart Garnet was working at H. Wicks (Lindal) Limited's waste and recycling facility at Sowerby Woods Business Park in Barrow, Cumbria, when he was hit by a reversing telehandler on 12 May 2022. He later died of his injuries.
The company was fined £60,000 by Warrington Magistrates' Court on Tuesday and ordered to pay costs of £6,624.75 and a £2,000 statutory surcharge.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said Garnet's death was an "avoidable tragedy". H. Wicks (Lindal) Limited was contacted for comment.
The HSE, which investigates work-related deaths, said it found H. Wicks (Lindal) Limited had failed to ensure the site was organised in a way that both pedestrians and vehicles could circulate in a safe manner.
HSE's principal inspector Caroline Shorrock said: "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."
GoogleShe added the fine was a "clear reminder" to other companies about their responsibility to keep workers safe.
At the time of Garnet's death, his family paid tribute to the 44-year-old, who was described as a Barrow man "through and through" and a keen Barrow AFC fan.
The family tribute added: "Stuart will be sorely missed by all those that worked with him and knew him."
