A Wales construction company has been fined after one of its employees had his head crushed at a site in Gloucestershire. Macob Administration Limited, based in Bridgend, was charged by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after Lance Taylor was killed while working on a site at Chestnut Walk, Abbeymead on 11 February 2005.
Mr Taylor was driving a mini digger, which he was not qualified to operate, and unintentionally hit a lever as he leaned out of the cab window. The digging arm of the vehicle was raised, crushing his head between the cab and the arm. He suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead on site. Gloucester Crown Court heard Macob pleaded guilty to breaches under two sections of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations SI 1998/2306.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Martin Lee said, "This terrible incident highlights the extremely serious risks posed by equipment and vehicles on site if the workers using them don't have adequate training or are not versed in safe working procedures. Mr Taylor and the other site workers were not all properly trained to use the equipment they were handling and, just as seriously, vehicle keys were routinely left in the machines. As a result, they were accessible to anyone on site, regardless of their qualifications."
"It is imperative that on any construction site using plant and machinery there are systems in place to control access to the vehicles. Construction site managers need to know which workers on site are qualified to operate the machinery and that their control systems are working effectively."
