Scrapyard business fined after visitor is crushed to death
December 1st 09:06 Health and Safety
The importance of effective facilities management at scrapyards has been highlighted by the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE's) prosecution of the owners of a site where a man was crushed to death.
James Huntley & Sons of Sholing, Southampton, was fined £50,000 at Southampton Crown Court for failing to prevent an incident that occurred in August 2007 that saw 24-year-old Barry Collins killed when he was struck by a grab claw while visiting the yard.
The business was also ordered to pay almost £35,000 in costs and HSE inspector Roger Upfold noted that the incident could have been avoided if management of the site had been at a higher standard.
He noted that "simple measures" should have been put in place to "control site access and let members of the public know where they should and shouldn't go".
The HSE recently prosecuted a firm following a similar incident at a quarry, where a 13-uear-old girl was killed by a falling boulder after she gained entry to the site.
Carlton Main Brickworks in Grimethorpe, Barnsley failed to ensure the facility was protected, the body said.
