Kenneth Thelwall, company director of Thorn Warehousing Ltd, has been jailed for 12 months following the death of one of his workers.
The worker, Paul Williamson, who is a father of three, died on 29 January 2014 aged 51 years old when a remote controlled Mobile Elevated Working Platform (MEWP) fell from the ramps and crushed him as he was loading it onto a truck.
The Court heard how Mr Williamson had not been adequately trained on the use of the ramps, lorry, or the MEWP. Additionally, there was no risk assessment in place and no safe system of work had been created for the equipment, which had only been in operation for eight days.
The gradient of the ramps were found to be above the manufacturer's specification and they were not secured to the lorry. Therefore, as the MEWP was loaded onto the truck, it toppled off the ramps onto Mr Williamson.
Company director Kenneth Thelwall was charged under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, sentenced to 12 months in prison, and ordered to pay costs of £4,000. He was also disqualified from being a company director for seven years.
Thorn Warehousing Ltd were charged under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, fined £166,00, and ordered to pay costs of £10,400. The company is currently in administration.
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Inspector, Helen Jones, has said:
"Kenneth Thelwall failed in his duty as a director to protect his workers. He was involved in the day to day running of Thorn Warehousing Ltd and should have ensured the company provided Paul Williamson with the right equipment and training to carry out his job. Had he done so Mr Williamson would still be alive today. This case should act as a stark warning to all company directors of their personal responsibility to protect their workers' health and safety and the tragic consequences when they fail."
