A 52-year-old man was fatally crushed while changing the front wheels of a truck at Booth Mixer Hire’s site at Bankend Quarry in Blaxton on 9th December 2019.
While he was replacing the two front wheels, the vehicle collapsed on top of him.
With the old wheels already removed, the worker entered the underside of the vehicle and attempted to prop it higher up using a bottle jack. It was at this point that the wagon fell onto him.
A Health & Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that Booth Mixer Hire had failed to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment for replacing the wheels on the wagon. The firm had also failed to put in place a system of work that ensured the work could be carried out safely. It also failed to consider the use of alternative equipment, such as a trolley jack, which would have allowed the vehicle to be jacked from outside the danger zone.
Booth Mixer Hire Limited of Bankend Road, Blaxton, Doncaster, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. It was fined £50,000 and ordered to pay £16,717.15 in costs at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on 2nd April 2024.
HSE inspector John Boyle said: “This tragic incident could have been avoided by assessing the risk and implementing safe working practices. Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”
