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Waste firm must pay £75,000 for deadly failings
A WASTE management company was fined £75,000 yesterday, for Health and Safety failings after a lorry reversed over and killed an 18-year-old employee at its Bradford depot.
Bradford Crown Court heard that Associated Waste Management had pleaded guilty at an earlier court hearing to a charge of failing to discharge their duty under the Health & Safety at Work Act.
Kristopher Dixon, 18, of Wibsey, suffered massive internal injuries and multiple broken bones when he was killed under the wheels of the 16-tonne wagon.
The tragedy occurred on the morning of April 12 last year at the company's Valley Road premises when truck driver Ivan Lee reversed his wagon into a space at the yard.
Yesterday, the court heard that the vehicle's reverse warning alarm had been removed.
Michael Elliker, on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive, told the court that a West Yorkshire Police accident investigator, Pc Russell Windross, considered that if the alarm had been working its was likely that the accident would have been avoided.
Mr Elliker said it was the prosecution's contention that the fatal accident could have been avoided if AWM had taken further reasonably practicable measures. Its failings included:
Ensuring that the MAN Skip Loader was maintained in a safe condition in that the reversing alarm worked;
Ensuring that reversing vehicles at their depot at Valley Road, Shipley, were fitted with rear view cameras;
It did not conduct a risk assessment into the operation of manoeuvring vehicles:
It did establish a safe system of work because vehicles could reverse without a banksman (a guide to help vehicles reverse).
It did not ensure that a system was in place to ensure appropriate separation between employees including Kristopher Dixon and its vehicles.
In mitigation, Kevin McCartney said that the company's managing director, John Brooksbank, ''feels very personally sad and remorseful about what has happened.''
He said the company had since spent 1.7m on a comprehensive overhaul of the site.
He added that the company had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and co-operated fully with the health and safety investigation.
Recorder Peter Miller fined AWM 75,000 and 10,000 costs payable at 5,000 per month.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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