UK firm fined £24,000 after worker crushed to death in conveyor
Kent-based aggregates supplier Gill Aggregates has been fined £24,000 after worker Manjit died when he became trapped in a compression conveyor. Inspectors found a gap in the machine's guarding that allowed access to dangerous moving parts.
The UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has fined aggregates and haulage firm Gill Aggregates £24,000 following the death of a worker who was crushed in a compression conveyor.
An HSE investigation found that although a fixed guard had been fitted around the machine's compression conveyors, it contained an opening roughly 60cm wide and 33.5cm high, which gave access to dangerous moving parts.
The regulator said the company had already identified, two months before the fatal incident, the risk of workers becoming trapped in the machinery, but had not included additional guarding among the measures put in place to address that risk. Further guarding was only installed after the worker, named Manjit, died.
Gill Aggregates, based in Northfleet, Kent, supplies aggregates and haulage services to builders' merchants and the construction industry.
The company pleaded guilty to breaching regulations requiring employers to take effective measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery.
Regulator's response
HSE inspector Adepeju Sogadgi said it was a tragic incident that resulted in Manjit losing his life, adding that the risks associated with dangerous moving machinery are well known, and employers must ensure effective measures are in place to prevent workers from accessing dangerous parts of equipment.
The BBC has approached Gill Aggregates for comment.
