Two companies have been fined after a heavy goods vehicle driver suffered fatal chest injuries while unstrapping a load on a trailer.
Andrew Bayley-Machin, 41, of Cheadle, Stoke-on-Trent was fatally crushed when he was hit by a pack of steel gates that fell approximately three metres from a load on a flatbed trailer.
The vehicle had been loaded with the gates at Joseph Ash Ltd and driven by Mr Bayley-Machin to the premises of his employer LM Bateman & Company Ltd in Staffordshire when the incident happened on 20 June 2018.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found that arrangements for planning and restraining loads was inadequate to ensure the stability of goods.
This meant that when the straps were released the goods fell from the vehicle and fatally injured Mr Bayley-Machin.
LM Bateman and Company pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 2 (1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
They were fined £120,000 and ordered to pay costs of £16,334 and a victim surcharge of £100 at North Staffordshire Justice Centre on 7 November 2022.
Joseph Ash Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 2(1) and 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
They were fined £239,000 and ordered to pay costs of £17,834 and a victim surcharge of £100 at North Staffordshire Justice Centre on 7 November 2022.
Following the hearing, HSE inspector Wendy Campbell said: “This death would have been prevented had an effective system for managing load restraint been in place at both companies.
“This is a reminder to all companies of the need to properly assess and apply effective control measures when securing loads to minimise the risks from transporting goods on road vehicles.”
