Council fined £75k over worker's death
March 3rd 11:49 Health and Safety
A local authority has been fined £75,000 after a health and safety breach led to the death of an employee.
Doncaster Crown Court heard how Gordon Duffield was killed by a reversing truck while working on a site in Rotherham.
After pleading guilty to breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Rotherham Metropolitan Council was also ordered to pay £18,350 in court costs.
Following a prosecution by the Health and Safety Executive, John Rowe, an inspector at the organisation, said: "Mr Duffield's death demonstrates all too clearly the need for the movement of workplace vehicles to be carefully managed so that employees and other pedestrians are not put at risk.
"The council had a duty to protect their employee. Yet, vehicle movements at the site were uncontrolled despite the fact that tipper wagons had to reverse the length of the site."
Sheffield-based contractor Brocklebank & Company (Demolition) was also fined £30,000 and ordered to pay £12,000 costs after pleading guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the same Act for its part in the incident.
