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Haulier fined following death of lorry driver
Page 13
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By Chris Tindall THE ABSENCE OF adequate training and risk assessments led to the death of a lorry driver who was flung from his cab when it jack-knifed while unloading at a Readymix depot.
John Wootten, formerly trading as AEP Aggregates, was fined £4,000 after he pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety legislation at the Old Bailey.
The prosecution followed a Health & Safety Executive (HSE) investigation into a fatal incident involving driver Joseph Caruana.
Caruana had reversed his artic up a concrete ramp and activated the tipping mechanism to unload shingle at the RMC Readyrnix depot in Tower Hamlets, London. He engaged the tractor handbrake but not the trailer parking brake. Since he had failed to release the tailgate, the shingle load built up, causing the vehicle to skid down the ramp.
Caruana tried to jump into the cab but was unable to shut the door. The vehicle jack-knifed, throwing him under the advancing wheels of the trailer. He died at the scene from multiple injuries.
HSE Inspector Charles Linfoot says it was "appalling" that Wootten ignored safety precautions. He adds: "Hauliers need to make sure they have safe systems of work, which include risk assessments, adequate training and supervision."