Company Found Guilty of Causing Worker’s Death Due to Mismanagement
Tate and Lyle Industries Ltd was fined £270,000 and was told to pay costs of £90,000 after one of its contractors died on job in March 2004.
The deceased is 53-year-old Keith Webb, who was receiving a shipment at a sugar refinery owned by Tate and Lyle at
HSE accused the company of violating sections 2 (1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 at Southwark Crown Court in October, and following investigation of the incident, the company was fined by the court.
A contractor for Acclaim Logistics Ltd, Webb died when the bulldozer that he was sitting in fell from a crane that was being lowered. When the bulldozer was being lowered, the lug broke and the vehicle dropped loose. It then hit the ship and fell into the water, killing Webb instantly.
The investigation conducted by HSE revealed that Tate and Lyle was completely to blame for the mishap, as their management had been very poor. There were no correct provision for ships to be unloaded at the dock, and nor was there any proper management of workers and contractors by the company.
Inspector John Crookes of HSE said that it was due to vague attempts on the company’s part to deal with these pressing issues that led to the untimely death of Webb. He concluded by saying that it was important to remember that a human life was lost in the tragedy, and that such incidents should be prevented at any cost.
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