18/01/2010 - Company fined over death of workman
A construction company has been fined £80,000 after a workman died when he was struck by the digger he was operating.
Lance Taylor, of south Gloucestershire, died in February 2005 when he was struck by the arm of the machine when he accidentally nudged a lever as he leaned from the digger.
Gloucester Crown Court heard the 23-year-old, from Thornbury, had not been trained to operate such machinery. He was operating the digger to help out while its driver was absent, the court heard.
Macob Administration Ltd of Bridgend admitted two Health and Safety Act breaches.
The firm was ordered to pay £29,000 towards prosecution costs, but was given a year to pay due to the downturn affecting its finances.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said afterwards that systems controlling access to vehicles must be in place at any construction site using plant and machinery.
"Construction site managers need to know which workers on site are qualified to operate the machinery and that their control systems are working effectively," said Martin Lee, of the HSE.
Copyright © Press Association 2010
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