Team Waste (Southern) fined £250k for death
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The Sussex-based waste firm was fined after a member of the public was killed by one of its trucks
By Roger Brown
SUSSEX-BASED company Team Waste (Southern) has been ined £250,000 after a member of the public was run over and killed by one of its reversing trucks.
In a prosecution brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Lewes Crown Court was told that in March 2007, Anne Smith, 61, from Brighton, was hit by the vehicle as it reversed up Cranbourne Street in Brighton city centre at 6.20am.
The driver did not realise he had struck her until her body lay about three metres in front of the vehicle. Smith died shortly afterwards.
The driver had reversed the lorry without a banksman – or reversing assistant – contrary to Team Waste’s operating policy.
There was a defective CCTV system at the rear and the audible reversing siren was turned off, as the driver believed such alarms were prohibited before 7am. Crawley-based Team Waste had failed to ensure that control measures identiied in their own risk assessment were put into practice.
The irm was found guilty of breaching section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, and also ordered to pay costs of £50,000.
Sharon Humphrey, HSE inspector, says detailed guidance on lorry reversing outlining the requirements of the law and providing advice on the practical measures to take, is freely available from the organisation.
She adds: “Team Waste (Southern) Ltd failed to ensure the safe collection of rubbish.
“As a result of its failure, an innocent woman has died unnecessarily. This has had devastating consequences for her family.” Humphrey says the law requires employers to assess the risks to employees as well as members of the public.
“This incident could have been prevented had simple, low cost and readily available precautions been put in place,” she adds.
“The HSE takes failure to comply with these provisions seriously and will not hesitate to take action.”