News
Updated Sep 5, 2017

Log in →

Company fined 450k after death of employee

A company based in Derbyshire have been handed a £450,000 fine for the death of a 19 year old employee.

Ben Pallier-Singleton died when the forklift he was operating overturned, inflicting fatal crushing injuries, in February 2015.

The Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) investigation found that Mr Pallier-Singleton was driving the vehicle at night on a "sloping" road. He was not wearing a seatbelt.

The HSE found, during the investigation, Vinyl Compound did not inform employees of the site speed limit, and they did not have adequate lighting and protection in place to prevent overturning.

Vinyl Compound Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations SI 1999/3242.

HSE inspector Berian Price said: "This tragic incident could have easily been prevented. The company's management of fork lift truck driving operations and its failure to provide various measures to ensure the safety of the external yard area coupled with the lack of safe driver measures, such as wearing a seat belt, exposed employees to serious safety risks. Sadly, in this case, these failures resulted in the needless loss of Mr Pallier-Singleton's life."

For more information see, the:


View all stories