Logistics company fined £1.5 million after death of worker
Health and Safety Executive v Tuffnells Parcels Express Ltd (2018) Dudley magistrates’ court, September 11
Statutory reference: s.2 of the Health and Safety at Work, etc., Act 1974 (HSWA)
Tuffnells Parcels Express Ltd, a logistics company, has been fined following the death of a worker who was trapped between a trailer and a vehicle.
The facts
In January 2016 an employee of the company attempted to attach his vehicle to a trailer. The trailer was parked on a slight slope and it rolled forward, trapping the worker between it and his vehicle. He suffered fatal injuries.
The decision
The company was fined £1.5 million plus £32,000 costs under s.2 of HSWA.
An HSE spokesperson commented after the case that workplace transport was a high risk environment. Assessments of sites should be specific and identify the hazards unique to each workplace. The slope on which a vehicle was parked did not need to be steep for incidents to occur.