A Mansfield-based operator has been ordered to pay more than £650,000 in fines and costs, following the death of a worker who was struck by a reversing vehicle.
The 89-year-old employee working for textiles recycling firm Savanna Rags International was hit by the rear of a reversing vehicle, operated by a visiting driver delivering goods into its site, in April 2016.
According to the HSE, the firm had failed to sufficiently assess the risks associated with vehicle movements at its site.There were no measures in place to segregate pedestrians from moving vehicles, nor was there a system to ensure that vehicles could manoeuvre safely.
It also found that it was customary for vehicles to reverse from the weighbridge, which was also used by employees to access the factory, and was where the employee was hit by the vehicle.
Savanna Rags International, which is based in Forest Road, Mansfield, and has an O-licence giving it permission for up to 12 vehicles across two sites, pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, and Regulation the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992.
It was fined £650,000 and ordered to pay costs of £3,300.25 at Mansfield Magistrates’ Court on 30 October.
