Colin Reddish, 48, was killed at Parker Hannifin Manufacturing Ltd in April 2015 when a CNC milling machine overturned and killed him. He was involved in the team tasked with moving the machine. Workers had tried using a forklift truck to lift it, to no avail, so had resorted to using jacks before placing the machine onto skates. Mr Reddish was then underneath the machine with an angle grinder to cut and remove the bolts that had been securing the machine to the floor. He was working alone at the time of the accident.
An investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) found that the work had been poorly planned. The machine’s centre of gravity had not been assessed before the move took place, resulting in an unsafe system of work. Lincoln Magistrates Court heard that Parker Hannifin Manufacturing had not ensured that the workers involved in the lifting and moving were sufficiently trained.
HSE inspector Martin Giles said: “Colin Reddish’s death was entirely preventable. Parker Hannifin Manufacturing Ltd had already tried unsuccessfully to lift the machine using a fork lift truck but instead of learning from this failure they carried on. Their ad hoc approach to managing dangerous tasks resulted in one of their workers losing his life.
“All companies can learn from this incident and make sure they have properly risk assessed the situation before they start and that they have trained staff with the right type of experience to carry out the task in hand safely.”
Peter Hannifin Manufacturing Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching both Reg 3(1) of Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. They were fined £1 million, plus costs of £6,311 and a victim surcharge of £120.
