Cumbria waste firm fined following fatal telehandler failure

A court heard this week how, on 12 May 2022, Stuart Garnet, 44, had been carrying out duties at H. Wicks (Lindal) Limited’s facility in Barrow-in-Furness when he was struck by the vehicle, sustaining fatal injuries.

HSE’s investigation revealed systemic failures in the company’s workplace transport management. Inspectors found that traffic routes were not designed or maintained to allow pedestrians and vehicles to circulate safely, resulting in a lack of adequate segregation between workers and moving plant machinery.

Appearing at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on 26 May, H. Wicks (Lindal) Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The court imposed a £60,000 fine, ordering the company to pay £6,624.75 in costs and a £2,000 statutory surcharge.

Investigating HSE principal inspector, Caroline Shorrock warned that poor separation remains a leading cause of serious workplace accidents. “Every year, a significant number of workplace accidents, many of them serious and sometimes fatal, occur because of poor separation of pedestrians and vehicles,” she said.

“Had the company implemented suitable separation measures, this fatal injury would not have occurred. The fine imposed on H. Wicks (Lindal) Limited should serve as a clear reminder to everyone in the waste and recycling industry that HSE will hold to account those who fail to keep their workers safe.”

The waste and recycling sector experiences 3.29 deaths per 100,000 workers, making it the second most dangerous in the UK after agriculture. This rate is roughly 8.2 times higher than the all-industry average.

Nearly a quarter of all deaths involving workplace transport occur during reversing, according to HSE statistics.