Recycling firm fined after worker crushed to death

56 year-old Norman Mayne from Newport died after he became trapped between a container and a skip at Amber Services Ltd’s recycling yard at Dyffryn Business Park on 25 June 2008.

Cardiff Crown Court heard that Mr Mayne was carrying out one of his regular duties of locating suitable skips, when he became trapped between a stationary skip and a container that a colleague was loading onto a vehicle that had been reversed in to the yard.

An investigation by the HSE found that the company had failed to ensure the safety of its employees because an effective system to permit the safe movement of pedestrians and vehicles was not in place.

HSE inspector Clare Owen said: “The death of Mr Mayne could have been prevented if a few simple measures had been put in place.

“There was no effective system for managing vehicle and pedestrian movements on site, and skip storage was disorganised. If a clearly defined system to control vehicles was in place and the site was kept in an orderly condition, the likelihood of such an incident occurring would be dramatically reduced. It is particularly important, wherever a driver has no view of his ‘blind spot’ during reversing and loading and unloading operations, that the activity is managed and controlled.”

Duty

Amber Engineering Limited (trading as Amber Services), of the Recycling Centre Dyffryn Business Park, Ystrad Mynach, Hengoed, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. This states that it shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all of his employees.

The company was fined 112,000 and ordered to pay costs of 36,000 on Friday (May 11).

When contacted by letsrecycle.com, thecompany wasunavailable for comment.

Advice and guidance on managing workplace transport safely can be found here.

Fire

Earlier this week, Amber Waste Services also came under the spotlight when officers from Environment Agency Wales investigated a fire at the companys Duffryn Business Park site.
Around 200 tonnes of mixed construction waste was on fire. The waste is not thought to be hazardous.

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service retained most of the water used to tackle the blaze on site through interceptors and drainage systems, to protect the environment as much as possible.

Speaking on Monday (May 14), a spokesman for Environment Agency Wales said: Our officers are currently assessing the environmental impact of the fire, and we are working with South Wales Fire and Rescue Service to ensure that impact on the local environment is minimised.

Amber Services Waste Management is a regulated site and we will take any action as necessary to prevent it happening again.