H. Wicks (Lindal) was also ordered to pay costs of £6,624.75 following the incident, which happened at the company’s waste and recycling facility on 12 May 2022.
The prosecution was brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), with the case heard at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on 26 May 2026.
A statutory surcharge of £2,000 was also imposed.
Commenting after the hearing, HSE principal inspector Caroline Shorrock said: “Stuart Garnet’s death was an avoidable tragedy, and our thoughts are with his friends and family.
“Every year, a significant number of workplace accidents, many of them serious and sometimes fatal, occur because of poor separation of pedestrians and vehicles.”
Site safety failings identified
The court heard that 44-year-old Stuart Garnet was working at the site when he was hit by a reversing telehandler. He subsequently died from his injuries.
An investigation by the HSE found that H. Wicks (Lindal) had failed to ensure the site was organised in a way that allowed pedestrians and vehicles to circulate safely.
The regulator concluded that suitable separation measures between workers on foot and moving vehicles had not been implemented.
H. Wicks (Lindal), of Scarth Road, Sowerby Woods Business Park, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
Shorrock added: “Had the company implemented suitable separation measures, this fatal injury would not have occurred.
“The fine imposed on H. Wicks (Lindal) Limited should serve as a clear reminder to everyone in the waste and recycling industry that HSE will hold to account those who fail to keep their workers safe.”
The HSE prosecution was brought by enforcement lawyer Matthew Reynolds and paralegal officer Henrietta Ruthven.
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