Barry Collins, 24, from Millbrook, Southampton was killed when he and his brother, Joey Collins, visited the site run by metal recyclers James Huntley & Sons Ltd in Sholing, Southampton on 2 August 2007 (see letsrecycle.com story).
The brothers were examining a vehicle for its parts and entered the site by the open back gate while the grab claw crane operator was elsewhere. The grab claw crane was used to move scrap around the site.
Barry Collins was inside the van when the crane operator came back to start work. Despite his brother, Joey, trying to tell the crane driver that Barry was in it, the operator misunderstood and thought he was being asked to pick it up.
As the crane picked up the vehicle, Barry Collins suffered major neck and shoulder injuries and was instantly crushed by the crane's five-finger grab. He died at the scene.
At the time of the incident, there were no warning signs around and outside the site to indicate which areas were out of bounds to members of the public and there were no published site rules or formal systems of work.
Risk
Had simple measures been in place to control site access and let members of the public know where they should and shouldn't go, this awful incident would probably never have happened
Roger Upfold, HSE
James Huntley & Sons Ltd pleaded guilty at Southampton Magistrates Court on 28 October 2009 to breaching section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 which requires employers to ensure that persons not in their employment but who may be affected by it are not exposed to risks to their health and safety.
The company also pleaded guilty to contravening Regulation 3(6) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, which requires employers with five of more employees to record significant findings of risk assessments and any group of employees identified as being at particular risk.
At Southampton Crown Court on Friday (November 27), the company was fined £50,000 and ordered to pay costs of £34,373.80.
HSE Inspector Roger Upfold said: “This was a truly tragic miscommunication that led to a man's death. Had simple measures been in place to control site access and let members of the public know where they should and shouldn't go, this awful incident would probably never have happened.
“Recycling sites are dangerous work environments. As such, warning notices, communication of site rules, and the use of high visibility clothing, should all be used to set clear expectations for the behaviour of visitors.”
James Huntley & Sons Ltd declined to comment.
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