A waste and recycling company in Cumbria has been fined £60,000 after a man hit and killed by a reversing telehandler on its site.
Stuart Garnet, 44, was working at H. Wicks (Lindal) Limited’s waste and recycling facility when he was struck by a reversing telehandler and subsequently died of his injuries.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company failed to ensure pedestrians and vehicles could circulate the site safely.
Wicks (Lindal) Limited pleaded guilty at Warrington Magistrates’ Court and was fined £60,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,624.75. A statutory surcharge of £2,000 was also imposed.
HSE Principal Inspector Caroline Shorrock said Garnet’s death was an ‘avoidable tragedy’.
“Every year, a significant number of workplace accidents, many of them serious and sometimes fatal, occur because of poor separation of pedestrians and vehicles,” she continued.
“Had the company implemented suitable separation measures, this fatal injury would not have occurred.”
