Companies fined after paper mill fatality

Mold Magistrates Court heard how on 6th February 2017, a 29-year-old employee of C M Downton (Haulage Contractors) Ltd was fatally crushed when he was struck from behind by a Volvo shovel loader whilst working at UPM-Kymmene (UK) Limited’s Shotton Paper Mill.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), found that there was no safe system of work to segregate pedestrians and vehicles and that drivers had limited visibility when driving large shovel loaders.

C M Downton (Haulage Contractors) Limited of Moreton Valance, pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 2 (1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and was fined £350,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,613.90. Also ordered to pay £170 victim surcharge.

UPM-Kymmene (UK) Limited of Irvine, Ayrshire pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and was fined £350,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,711.90. Also ordered to pay £170 victim surcharge.

HSE inspector Mhairi Duffy said after the hearing, “This death would have been prevented had an effective system for managing workplace transport been in place. This is a reminder to all employers to properly assess and apply effective control measures to minimise the risks from moving vehicles in their workplaces”