Death in baling machine: £250,000 fine
Health and Safety Executive v RRS London Waste Papers Ltd (2018) Westminster magistrates’ court, May 30
Statutory reference: S.2 of the Health and Safety at Work, etc., Act 1974 (HSWA)
RRS London Waste Papers Ltd has been fined after an employee suffered fatal crush injuries.
The facts
In March 2017 an employee of the company fell down the loading hopper into the compaction chamber of a baling machine. It was most likely that he had been attempting to clear a blockage and his fall into the chamber started the compaction sequence.
The incident could have been avoided if the company had devised and instructed workers on a safe method for clearing blockages.
Climbing up the baler to clear blockages exposed workers to the risk of falling a significant distance either into the compaction chamber or onto the surrounding concrete floor.
The decision
The company was fined £250,000 plus £6639 costs plus a victim surcharge of £170 under s.2 of HSWA.
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