ISL Waste Management Ltd, based in Mallusk, pleaded guilty to a breach of health and safety legislation at Laganside Crown Court.
This came after an employee, Grzegorz Mucha, sustained serious injuries after being crushed between the rear of an RCV and the grab attachment of a mini digger on 3 October 2017.
The case was brought to the court by Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI).
According the HSENI, the incident occurred after Mr Mucha had reversed the RCV into ISL’s processing plant in preparation for unloading.
The unloading process required the driver to operate controls located to the rear of the RCV. It was while Mr Mucha was working to the rear of the vehicle that the crush happened, HSENI said.
Management
HSENI Principal Inspector Kyle Carrick said: “The investigation found the company failed to implement a suitable management system to segregate pedestrians and vehicles on site.
“Loading and unloading activities are high risk activities and often require drivers to leave the safety of their vehicle cab. Where drivers may need to leave their cabs to perform essential tasks (such as opening container doors and operating discharge controls), adequate safeguards should be in place to protect them.
“This incident was entirely foreseeable and could have been avoided had appropriate control measures been put in place to maintain an adequate separation distance between vehicles and pedestrians.”
ISL Waste Management has been contacted for comment.
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