Farm death: £20,000 fine
Health and Safety Executive v Penhill Farm Ltd and Selwyn Andrew Thomas Richards (2017) Swansea Crown Court, May 15
Statutory reference: S.3 of the Health and Safety at Work, etc., Act 1974 (HSWA).
Penhill Farm Ltd and its owner have been fined after a contractor was crushed by a reversing farm machine.
The facts
· In July 2014 a contractor, engaged to spread fertilizer on fields at the farm in Camarthenshire. He was struck by a reversing telehandler in the farmyard. He suffered fatal crush injuries.
· The farm had failed to maintain the machinery. It was in poor condition with visibility compromised by dirty and badly positioned mirrors and dirty glass in the cab.
The decision
· Penhill Farm Ltd was fined £20,000 plus £10,000 costs under s.3, HSWA.
· The farm owner was convicted of an offence but no separate penalty was imposed.