Two companies fined a total of £393,000 after a lorry driver was crushed by a load of gates as he unloaded them

LM Bateman & Company Ltd were fined £136,334 (inc.costs) and Joseph Ash Ltd fined £256,834 (inc.costs) after a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) driver suffered fatal chest injuries while unstrapping a load on a trailer.

The circumstances were:

• Arrangements for planning and restraining loads were inadequate.
• They did not ensure that the stability of goods was independent of the load straps so that release of the straps did not allow the load to fall from the vehicle.
• The vehicle had been loaded with the gates at Joseph Ash Ltd.
• On 20 June 2018 it was driven by Andrew Bayley-Machin, an employee of LM Bateman & Company Ltd. to the LM Bateman site.
• When releasing the load straps, the gates fell approximately three metres from the flatbed trailer onto Mr Bayley-Machin.
• These fatally crushed him.

The HSE inspector said: 

“This death would have been prevented had an effective system for managing load restraint been in place at both companies. This is a reminder to all companies of the need to properly assess and apply effective control measures when securing loads to minimise the risks from transporting goods on road vehicles.”