A Kent-based waste and recycling company has been fined more than £100,000 after an employee died when wasted material collapsed on top of him.
Sevenoaks Magistrates’ Court heard how Neville Watson, 39, was working close to the pile of waste material after connecting a shredder to the loading shovel he was driving. He died of asphyxiation whilst under the pile of waste that appeared to be over 8m high.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive into the incident, which occurred on 9 August 2014, found that New Earth Solutions Group failed to undertake and prepare risk assessments or safe systems of work, or provide adequate training, for the creation and management of the stockpiles.
New Earth Solutions Group pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and was fined £80,000 and ordered to pay costs of £38,373.92.
The judge indicated that if the company had not already been in administration the fine would have been much larger, between £600,000 and £1.3m.
HSE inspector Guy Widdowson said after the hearing: “The request for Mr Watson to carry out the shredding operation was made without any form of structured training being in place.
“The company failed to ensure that Mr Watson was supervised by an employee trained in the task he was carrying out, particularly in light of the fact that he had never carried out the task before.”
