Worker killed by JCB was not fully trained

A young factory worker who died after being crushed by a JCB at work had not been fully trained and was not certified to use it, an inquest heard.

Twenty-one-year-old Mark Bate got his head trapped under the arm of a JCB digger at the Sita recycling plant in Coneygre Industrial Estate, Tipton, an inquest heard.

Plant worker Nigel Cliff, who has worked for Sita for 19 years, told of the moments before the tragic accident which killed his colleague, recycling operative Mr Bate.

He said Mr Bate, of Princes End, Tipton, had been sitting in the JCB loading cardboard onto a conveyor belt when he died in June 2008.

Mr Cliff, who works as a driver, said: "He put the back of the JCB on to the floor and tilted it forwards which lifted the front wheels of the JCB up. Then he reversed it back across the shed, pulling cardboard with him with the front wheels of the machine off the floor.

"When he got to the other side of the shed he stopped the machine, stood up and looked out of the machine and with his left hand leaned across the front of the machine and looked as though he was pulling some cardboard off the front that was stuck."

He leaned across to the right hand side, the jury inquest at Smethwick Council House heard yesterday.

"While I was watching him it seemed as though the machine moved slightly and I looked at Mark again and he wasn't moving so I ran across the shed and I could see his head was trapped under the arm of the machine."

The jury heard the JCB had a safety bar which when lifted meant the hydraulics of the machine would stop working.

To stand up in the JCB Mr Bate would have had to lift the bar.

Supervisor Ian Raybould ­ told the jury Mr Bate had worked at Sita for around a year.

He said Mr Bate, of Moat Road, was very competent and was allowed to operate the JCB under supervision. But the inquest heard Mr Bate had not had formal training and was not certified to drive the JCB.

The hearing continues.