A-Plant fined £200,000 after fatal fall

Aaron Morby 14 years ago
Share

A-Plant has been fined £200,000 after a worker fell 5m to his death at one of its depots.

The national plant hirer was also ordered to pay £15,698.30 in costs at Maidstone Crown Court today.

Phillip Pearce, aged 55, from the Medway area, had worked as a fitter at the company’s depot at Tovil, Maidstone  for less than three months when he died on 16 August 2006.

Mr Pearce was working on  site huts and storage containers and had climbed on top of two stacked units to attach lifting chains when he fell 5m to his death.

The court heard that despite the depot handling up to 15 accommodation unit movements a day, depot managers failed to ensure  workers were aware of the procedure and did not ensure that the work was only done by those trained, equipped and authorised.

A-Plant  had a written procedure for work on top of accommodation units in its depots and at customers’ sites. This required workers to wear a safety harness and inertia reel line and climb a secured ladder.

HSE inspectors found that workers at the depot had not been given this kit or been trained to use it. Most did not know the company had a special procedure for doing this work.

HSE Inspector John Underwood said: “This was a wholly avoidable incident which led to a tragic and totally unnecessary loss of life.

“It is completely inexcusable that the company had indentified the risks, prepared an adequate procedure to manage the risk, and then failed to implement that procedure to protect their workers.

“Health and safety is not just about filling in forms or thinking about risk, it’s about taking action to prevent people being killed or injured while trying to do their job.

“I hope this case will be an example to other companies that not only must health and safety be taken seriously but also followed through.”

Last year more than 4,000 employees suffered major injuries after falling from height at work, and 21 workers in the construction industry died

Latest plant news

Plant sales slumped 29% in final quarter of last year

Excavator sales hardest hit by downturn
2 months ago

Lower Thames Crossing to lead switch to hydrogen fuelled plant

National Highways commits to remove 66 million litres of diesel on tunnel job
9 months ago

World’s first hydrogen-electric powered access platform

Speedy Hire and Niftylift pioneer zero carbon MEWP
9 months ago

JCB launches all-day operation electric site loader

Compact loader promises productivity matching 403 diesel model
10 months ago

Barhale fits digital ‘thumbs up’ safety signs to diggers

Digital AI safety feature tells workers when safe to approach plant on site
12 months ago

Hydrogen-powered backhoes approved to drive on roads

Government approves use of hydrogen-fueled diggers on public highways.
1 year ago

Vac UK puts in another giant order for £10m of machines

20 new Longo Rhino excavators add to specialist's impressive fleet
2 years ago
Vac UK

Construction materials cost increases hit 40-year high

Steel and timber soar quickest with rises set to continue next year
2 years ago

Cementation Skanska switches all large-scale plant to bio-fuel

Piling contractor commits to Green D+ fuel after big HS2 site trial
2 years ago

JCB targets first hydrogen diggers by end of 2022

Plant giant is investing £100m in developing super-efficient hydrogen engines
2 years ago

House builder backs plant warning cameras on all sites

Countryside commits to AI proximity warning cameras on all site telehandlers
3 years ago

Police launch specialist plant theft busting unit

ACE unit will focus on tackling organised plant theft gangs
3 years ago

On-board breaker takes suction excavator to new level

Specialist manufacturer cracks problem with world first design innovation
3 years ago

Construction plant shortages start to bite

Smaller excavator delivery dates being pushed to 2022
3 years ago

Laing O’Rourke joins switch to electric cars

Plan to transition 1,000-car fleet to all-electric by 2025
3 years ago

JCB to hire 400 agency workers in production push

Demand for machines has rebounded sharply in Europe and North America
3 years ago

Strong trading lifts hirer P Flannery revenue to £116m

Revenue soars to record high for fast-growing plant hirer
3 years ago

Plant hire firm plans £33.8m tourism development

Perthshire site will see construction of hotel, lodges and transport museum
3 years ago

New pothole machine delivers road repairs four times faster

JCB Pothole Pro machine can repair a pothole in under eight minutes and at half the cost of a road gang
3 years ago

Wernick acquires Robert Purvis Plant Hire’s portable accommodation fleet

Wernick boosts presence in Scotland
3 years ago

Plant hirer fined £220k after crane nearly hits apprentice

Court hears how apprentice forced to leap for his life
3 years ago

JCB launches electric telehandler and dumper

Stand-alone rapid charger unit also unveiled to support E-Tech range
3 years ago

City Hire expands guaranteed tool hire service

Equipment delivery time guarantee extended beyond London
3 years ago
City Hire

Three sisters set-up plant hire business

Finnegan sisters buy first kit after securing funding deal
3 years ago

Fox Bros snaps up north west hirer Clive Hurt

North West haulier and earthworks contractor now on the hunt for bigger jobs
3 years ago

Speedy trials electric taxis as tool delivery vans

Converted red taxicabs can carry two pallets up to 800kg
4 years ago

Major plant hirer Vp sees revenues rebound

Hire revenues back to 80% of pre-Covid level
4 years ago

Flannery trials first electric tele at HS2 site

Skanska Costain Strabag JV to roll out more machines across HS2
4 years ago

Tower crane lifts end long climb to work for operators

Laing O'Rourke trials mast climbing lifts for tower crane operators at London site
4 years ago

JCB powers up first hydrogen fuelled digger

JCB in race to lead the world on hydrogen-powered plant
4 years ago

Contractor services