Car firm fined following a death at Cheshire plant
Posted: August 14, 2013
Posted in: Faulty Work Equipment Workplace Injuries Wrongful & Accidental Death
A Vauxhall parent company has been fined £150,000 for their failure to comply with health and safety regulations – resulting in the tragic death of a member of their staff. Ian Heard (59) was crushed to death at the Cheshire car plant in July 2010 after having worked for the company for 43 years.
Mr. Heard was caught in the machinery when working in the Ellesmere-based plant three years ago. Mr. Heard, originally from Birkenhead, was taken to a hospital in Chester, where he died eleven days after the accident. Vauxhall have described the accident as being an “unfortunate case”.
Safety will continue to be number one priority
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have taken out criminal proceedings against General Motors UK – who have already admitted to two breaches of health and safety regulation. The fine was declared at the Liverpool Crown Court this week, which accounts for the company’s failure to ensure the safety of employees, and their failure to disallow access to dangerous areas of machinery – the HSE said.
A company spokesman said that as a result of the incident, “safety will continue to be the number one priority for Vauxhall across its business.”
- The number of workers fatally injured during 2012/13 is 148 (a provisional figure)
- The figure of 148 deaths is 18% lower than the average for the past five years (181)
- 113 members of the public were fatally injured in accidents connected to work in 2012/13
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