Firm fined £24,000 over worker crushed in conveyor

An aggregates company has been fined £24,000 after a worker was pulled into a conveyor through a gap in its guarding and crushed to death.

Manjit Kumar, 34, was operating the bag-flattening conveyor at Gill Aggregates Ltd's depot in Halyard Street, Dagenham, east London, on 24 June 2020.

Colleagues stopped the machine but the guarding had to be dismantled to free him, and he died in hospital a few days later, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said.

The firm was sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Monday after admitting breaching workplace equipment regulations. It was also ordered to pay £43,000 in costs.

An HSE investigation found a fixed guard had been fitted around the machine's compression conveyors, but it contained an opening about 60cm (24in) wide and 33.5cm (13in) high, giving access to dangerous moving parts.

Further guarding was installed after Kumar's death.

Gill Aggregates, which is based in Northfleet, Kent, supplies aggregates and haulage services to builders' merchants and the construction industry.

It pleaded guilty to breaching regulations that require employers to take effective measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery.

HSE inspector Adepeju Sogadgi said: "This was a tragic incident that resulted in Manjit losing his life.

"The risks associated with dangerous moving machinery are well known. Employers must ensure that effective measures are in place to prevent workers from gaining access to dangerous parts."

The BBC has approached Gill Aggregates for comment.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk