A Devon distribution company has been fined £200,000 plus £16,993 costs after a series of safety breaches caused the death of a Cornish vineyard owner.
The incident happened in April 2008 when the owner of the vineyard, George Musgrave was helping a driver unload a delivery of empty wine bottles from the back of a Gregory Distribution lorry. The load fell from the tail lift causing fatal head and chest injuries to Mr Musgrave. His wife and the lorry driver fought to free him, but were unable to lift the huge weight.
The company pleaded guilty at Bodmin Magistrates to breaches of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 by failing to give specific safety training to the agency driver and not carrying out routine checks of the tail lift.
An HSE Inspector said, “This tragic accident highlights the dangers involved in unloading large and heavy loads using a tail lift. Employers should ensure that employees are given the right equipment, information, instruction and training to allow them to unload loads safely. Where employers use the services of agency staff they should ensure that those agency staff are aware of the systems of work in place and have the skills and training to undertake the required tasks.”
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