A cargo handling company has been fined after an employee was fatally crushed between shipping containers whilst working in a container park in Portsmouth.
In August 2017 an employee of Portico Shipping Limited (formerly MMD (Shipping Services) Limited) was working on the night shift in the container park. His job was to connect refrigerated container units to electrical supplies, which his colleague had lifted into position for him using a container stack vehicle. During one of these manoeuvres the employee was fatally crushed between two containers.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company routinely failed to provide adequate supervision of operatives and drivers working on the night shift to ensure safe systems of work were followed.
This included failure to use safe walkways to segregate pedestrians from vehicles, and the safe operation of container stackers, by driving with shipping containers in the raised position to allow visibility.
Portico Shipping Limited pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, was fined £200,000 and ordered to pay costs of £15,631.61.
HSE inspector, Rebecca Lumb, said: "Safe systems of work should be in place on sites with moving vehicles to prevent pedestrians coming into contact with traffic or moving machinery. When moving containers by container stacker, the load should be transported as low as possible whilst maintaining full line of sight".
"Supervisors must be given the necessary instruction and training to implement the safe systems of work and manage hazards during operation processes".
"This tragic incident was entirely preventable had the correct safety management procedures and supervision been in place at the site".
