Fitter death firm fined £40K over safety concerns

A Staffordshire engineering firm has been fined £40,000 after it "took safety risks for granted" and a fitter, who was a father-of two, was crushed to death .

Mark Palmer, aged 46, of Cannock, was crushed by the digger he was working on at a farm near Penkridge in 2008.

His employer, Hydraline Engineering Ltd, of Hawks Green, Cannock, admitted failing to ensure the safety of employees and failing to carry out a risk assessment.

Stafford Crown Court heard he died accidentally removing a plate on a Volvo wheeled loader at Well Dairy Farm, Bradley. A sudden release of hydraulic oil holding up the heavy loading arm saw it crash down and trap him against the machine.

Judge Simon Tonking said yesterday: "There is no doubt from the facts this tragic accident was avoidable and came about to a significant extent, although not wholly, as a result of the defendant's failures.

"The risk assessment which they had carried out lacked any proper analysis of the specific risks which their employees faced when working on specific machines."

Mr James Puzey, prosecuting, said Mr Palmer, of Wolverhampton Road, worked alone on US variant Volvo he had not worked on before on March 7, 2008.

He worked under an unsupported hydraulic boom — a practice prohibited by Volvo's operating manual.

Risks dealing with wheeled loaders were "not obscure," said Mr Puzey. A colleague warned Mr Palmer about working underneath unsupported arms of loaders.

A Health and Safety Executive investigation found Hydraline gave Mr Palmer insufficient training for working with hydraulic machinery. He picked up knowledge on the job.

Mr Harry Vann, defending, said the firm pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and co-operated fully with the investigation.

The family-owned firm, with 10 employees and a turnover of £1 million, specialises in hydraulics fitting to machines. It previously had a blameless record on health and safety. It must pay £20,000 legal costs.