Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110
Your industry news - first
The original and best - for over 20 years!
We strongly recommend viewing Cleanzine full size in your web browser. Click our masthead above to visit our website version.
Waste and recycling company fined £1m following death of worker
A refuse collection company has this week been fined £1m after a worker was run over and killed. Canterbury Crown Court heard how, in October 2013, Veolia ES (UK)'s employee John Head suffered fatal injuries when he was run over by a reversing refuse collection vehicle (RCV) whilst he was walking across the yard, at the Ross Depot Waste Transfer Station in Folkestone. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
An investigation by the Health & Safety Executive into the incident found that multiple vehicles, including RCVs and articulated lorries, were manoeuvring around the yard with no specific controls. The company failed to adequately assess the risks involved in the yard and did not implement industry recognised control measures to protect employees.
Veolia ES (UK) of Pentonville Road, London was found guilty after a trial of breaching Section 2(1) of the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974. The company has been fined £1 million and ordered to pay costs of £130,000.
HSE inspector Kevin Golding said of the case: "This should be a reminder to all industries, but in particular, the waste industry, to appropriately assess the risks and implement widely recognised control measures to adequately control manoeuvring vehicles, in particular reversing vehicles and restrict pedestrian movements around vehicles."
Further guidance can be found at:
24th January 2019