A Carlisle auto-salvage company was fined after a customer was trapped and fatally crushed, when a lift truck he had purchased was loaded onto his own recovery vehicle.
Carlisle Crown Court heard that in February 2018 the lift truck purchased was lifted using the company's skip lorry onto a recovery vehicle. The metal ring on the lift truck that the winch wire was attached to failed, causing the lift truck to fall and trapping the customer against the skip lorry.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company had failed to ensure that the lifting process was properly planned by a competent person, and failed in its duty not to expose customers to risk. HSE confirmed that a competent person would have identified this loading method as fundamentally unsafe.
The company pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, was fined £23,000, and ordered to pay costs of £8,000.
HSE inspector Matthew Tinsley commented: "this incident could so easily have been avoided should the lift have been properly planned and appropriate equipment and safe working practices been employed as a result".
"Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards".
