Company fined following working at height death
December 15th 17:39 Health and Safety
The death of a worker at a facility in Feltham has resulted in a freight forwarding company being fined £15,000.
K-Line Logistics was hit with the penalty and a further £4,752 in costs after it pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety regulations.
Richard Gibbs of Westminster fell seven metres while working at height to repair lights in January 2007 and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which prosecuted the company, said that he had received only limited instructions prior to beginning the work.
Effective facilities management and proper training could have helped prevent the incident and inspector at the HSE Owen Yorath said it is "vital that employers take steps to assess the competence of those they contract to undertake work", especially when high-risk activities are being carried out.
A £40,000 penalty was recently issued to FW Abbott, a Kettering vehicle repair centre, after an employee was killed when the lorry he was repairing fell on him in 2007.
