Skip to main content
IOSH Magazine: Safety, Health and Wellbeing in the world of work - return to the homepage IOSH Magaazine logo
  • Visit IOSH Magazine on Facebook
  • Visit @ioshmagazine on Twitter
  • Visit IOSH Magazine on LinkedIn
Gender equality
Practice meets perfect
May/June 2023 issue

Main navigation

  • Home
    • Browse previous issues
    • Member accolades
    • Member tributes
  • Health
    • Mental health and wellbeing
      • Bullying
      • Drugs and alcohol
      • Mental health
      • Stress
      • Wellbeing
    • Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
      • Ergonomics
      • Manual handling
      • Vibration
    • Occupational cancer
      • Asbestos
      • Hazardous substances
      • Radiation
  • Safety
    • Incident management
      • Chemicals
      • Electricity
      • Fire
      • First aid
      • Slips and trips
    • Non-health related fatalities
      • Road safety
      • Work at height
    • Risk management
      • Confined spaces
      • Disability
      • Legionella
      • Lifting operations
      • Lone workers
      • Noise
      • Personal protective equipment
      • Violence at work
      • Work equipment
      • Workplace transport
  • Management
    • Human factors
      • Accident reduction
      • Behavioural safety
      • Control of contractors
      • Migrant workers
      • Older workers
      • Reporting
      • Safe systems of work
      • Sickness absence
      • Young workers
    • Leadership and management
      • Employee involvement
      • Management systems
    • Management standards
      • ISO 45001
      • ISO 45003
    • Planning
      • Assurance
      • Compliance
      • Emergency planning
      • Insurance
    • Rehabilitation
      • Personal injury
      • Return to work
    • Strategy
      • Corporate governance
      • Performance/results
      • Regulation/enforcement
      • Reputation
    • Sustainability
      • Human capital and Vision Zero
  • Skills
    • Communication
    • Personal performance
      • Achieving Fellowship
      • Career development
      • Competencies
      • Personal development
      • Professional skills
      • Qualifications
    • Stakeholder management
    • Working with others
      • Leadership
      • Future Leaders
  • Jobs
  • Covid-19
  • Knowledge Bank
    • Back to basics
    • Book club
    • Infographics
    • Podcast
    • Reports
    • Webinars
    • Videos
  • Products & Services
  • Management
    • Human factors
      • Sickness absence
      • Accident reduction
      • Behavioural safety
      • Control of contractors
      • Migrant workers
      • Older workers
      • Reporting
      • Safe systems of work
      • Young workers
    • Leadership and management
      • Employee involvement
      • Leadership
      • Management systems
    • Management standards
      • ISO 45001
      • ISO 45003
    • Planning
      • Assurance
      • Compliance
      • Emergency planning
      • Insurance
    • Strategy
      • Corporate governance
      • Performance/results
      • Regulation/enforcement
      • Reputation
    • Sustainability
      • Human capital and Vision Zero
  • Health
    • COVID-19
    • Mental health and wellbeing
      • Bullying
      • Drugs and alcohol
      • Mental health
      • Stress
      • Wellbeing
    • Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
      • Ergonomics
      • Manual handling
      • Vibration
    • Occupational cancer
      • Asbestos
      • Hazardous substances
      • Radiation
  • Safety
    • Incident management
      • Chemicals
      • Electricity
      • Fire
      • First aid
      • Slips and trips
    • Non-health related fatalities
      • Road safety
      • Work at height
    • Risk management
      • Confined spaces
      • Disability
      • Legionella
      • Lifting operations
      • Lone workers
      • Noise
      • Personal protective equipment
      • Violence at work
      • Work equipment
      • Workplace transport
  • Skills
    • Communication
    • Personal performance
      • Career development
      • Competencies
      • Personal development
      • Qualifications
      • Professional skills
      • Achieving Fellowship
    • Stakeholder management
    • Working with others
      • Leadership
      • Future Leaders
  • Transport and logistics
  • Third sector
  • Retail
  • Mining and quarrying
  • Rail
  • Rehabilitation
    • Personal injury
    • Return to work
  • Utilities
  • Manufacturing and engineering
  • Construction
  • Sector: IOSH Branch
    • Sector: Northern Ireland
    • Sector: Midland
    • Sector: Merseyside
    • Sector: Manchester and North West Districts
    • Sector: Ireland East
    • Sector: Ireland
    • Sector: Edinburgh
    • Sector: Desmond-South Munster
    • Sector: Qatar
    • Sector: Oman
    • Singapore
    • Sector: South Coast
    • Sector: South Wales
    • Sector: Thames Valley
    • Sector: Tyne and Wear
    • Sector: UAE
    • Sector: West of Scotland
    • Sector: Yorkshire
  • Healthcare
  • Sector: Fire
  • Sector: Financial/general services
  • Sector: Energy
  • Education
  • Sector: Communications and media
  • Chemicals
  • Sector: Central government
  • Catering and leisure
  • Agriculture and forestry
  • Sector: Local government
  • Sector: IOSH Group
    • Sector: Financial Services
    • Sector: Sports Grounds and Events
    • Rural industries
    • Sector: railway
    • Public Services
    • Sector: Offshore
    • Sector: Hazardous Industries
    • Sector: Food and Drink
    • Sector: Fire Risk Management
    • Education
    • Construction
    • Sector: Aviation and Aerospace
Quick links:
  • Home
  • Categories
  • Topics
  • Management
  • Human factors
  • Safe systems of work
Work equipment
Sector: Energy
News

Suspended sentences handed to recycling directors for shredder death

Open-access content Monday 13th November 2017
From the archive:  Just so you know, this article is more than 3 years old.

Suspended sentences handed to recycling directors for shredder death

Latvian Karlis Pavasars was working for Mid-UK Recycling at the firm's Barkston Heath site near Ancaster in Lincolnshire when the incident happened on 19 July 2013.

Pavasars, an agency worker, was cleaning near a conveyor that fed the shredder when the recycling line was started up and he was drawn in. Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigators found that the fixed gate that prevented access to the conveyor had been removed weeks before the incident, allowing workers free access to the area. Managers were aware that the gate was not in place a few days before the incident.

An inquest on 10 July 2015 ruled the incident accidental. Pavasars was identified by DNA from his toothbrush after parts of his body were found in the shredding machine. The HSE inspector at the time of the inquest, Dr Dominic Swan, said the death was due to a lack of guarding around the conveyor.

"Other contributory factors were the lack of control and management of personnel in the shed, poor risk assessments, lack of procedures for undertaking maintenance, cleaning and clearing of blockages and lack of supervision of personnel," he told the inquest.

Mid-UK Recycling, which specialises in producing fuel for energy-from-waste plants, pleaded guilty at Nottingham Crown Court to breaching ss 3(1) and 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act. It was fined £800,000 and ordered to pay £100,000 in costs.

Managing director Christopher Mountain pleaded guilty to breaching s 37 of the Health and Safety at Work Act. He was given a 20-week prison sentence, suspended for two years, and fined £50,000.

Former operations director Alan Munson pleaded guilty to the same charge under the act. He was also given a 20-week prison sentence, suspended for two years.

Mountain said: "We have recognised that while we thought our processes were rigorous, there were clearly gaps in our systems which allowed this to happen."

The firm said that since 2013 it has invested heavily in improving its systems. It has employed a full-time OSH manager, as well as a director with responsibility for safety and health. Last year, it said it had achieved OHSAS 18001 accreditation and all its managers have received the IOSH Managing Safely training.

The company added that it has introduced a new traffic management system and safety walking routes for pedestrians. It also carries out regular internal audits and spots checks, and has employed an external auditor to carry out reviews.

You may also be interested in...

The failed connected struck Dennis Chadwick on the leg

 Sembcorp one of trio fined £1.5m in total of over botched boiler pressure test

Wednesday 18th October 2017
The victim’s employer, R&A Kay Inspection Services, and process equipment cleaning contractor Central Industrial Services (CIS) were also fined for their role in the accident on 3 December 2013. Teesside Crown Court was told that CIS had been assisting Sembcorp Utilities UK with the pressure test at its biomass-fired Wilton power station, near Redcar, North Yorkshire. Dennis Chadwick was on site to verify the test.
Open-access content

 Hardware supplier’s commended SSOW did not prevent forklift crush

Friday 17th November 2017
Team leader Debra Thorpe required 13 operations on her leg after being hit by the vehicle at the Owlett-Jaton warehouse on the Stone Business Park in Opal Way, Stone, Staffordshire on 28 September 2016.
Open-access content

 Electrical panel builder fined after 750 kg unit fell on engineer

Tuesday 7th November 2017
Newcastle-under-Lyme Magistrates’ Court was told that the Instrument and Control Services employee was moving the control panel on 2 February 2016. The unit, which weighed between 650 and 750 kg and was top heavy, toppled over and pinned the engineer to the ground. He sustained a pelvic fracture that split apart the left and right sides of his lower pelvis.  The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the company had not risk assessed the task and had not provided a safe system of work or proper instruction and training.
Open-access content
©David Stowell (cc-by-sa/2.0)

 Director disqualified after worker fell into ‘dilapidated’ trommel

Thursday 2nd November 2017
Safi Qais Khan died at Master Construction Products Skips’ (MCPS) site in Birmingham after he became entangled in a poorly maintained trommel, also known as a sorting screen, in which waste is filtered as it descends a perforated drum. The machine was missing essential guards to prevent entrapment, it had no emergency stop button and was located on uneven ground that was strewn with waste, said the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). MCPS did not have a safe system of work for the trommel.
Open-access content
Image credit: ©iStock/AlenaPaulus

 Lathe amputation costs ice cream maker £300k

Monday 27th November 2017
Mark Goodge had been using an emery cloth to clean by hand steel shafts on the lathe at Marcantonio Foods’ factory in Barking, Westminster Magistrates’ Court was told.Goodge’s gloves became entangled in the lathe and his lost four fingers on his right hand, broke several bones in his left arm and sustained a dislocated wrist.The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) investigation found Marcantonio had no safe system of work for cleaning the metal shafts.
Open-access content
HSE. Several panels toppled during the incident

 Laing O’Rourke arms fined £3.8m after MEWP worker crushed

Wednesday 18th October 2017
Explore Manufacturing, which prefabricates concrete components for the construction industry, was fined £2m. Select Plant Hire, a supplier of transport pallets, was fined £1.8m.Nottingham Crown Court was told on 16 October that Explore employee Richard Reddish was working in a mobile elevating working platform (MEWP) in the finishing area of the company’s Worksop factory when the accident happened on 8 July 2014.
Open-access content
Topics
Safe systems of work
Work equipment
Sector: Energy
News
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linked in
  • Mail
  • Print

Latest Jobs

Health and Safety Improvement Manager

Leeds
£35000 - £50000 per annum
Reference
5452992

SHEQ Systems Advisor

Up to £40000.00 per annum + Car Allowance
Reference
5452988

Senior Health and Safety Manager

Reading
Up to £65000.00 per annum + Great Car Allowance & Benefits
Reference
5452983
See all jobs »

Sign up for regular e-alerts

Receive the latest news and features, free to your inbox

Sign up

Subscribe to IOSH magazine

Receive the print edition straight to your door

Subscribe
IOSH Covers
​
FOLLOW US
Twitter
LinkedIn
YouTube
CONTACT US
Contact us
Tel +44 (0)20 7880 6200
​

IOSH

About IOSH
Become a member
IOSH Events
MyIOSH

Information

Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Cookie Policy

Get in touch

Contact us
Advertise with us
Subscribe to IOSH magazine
Write for IOSH magazine

IOSH Magazine

Health
Safety
Management
Skills
IOSH Jobs

© 2023 IOSH • IOSH is not responsible for the content of external sites

ioshmagazine.com and IOSH Magazine are published by Redactive Media Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any part is not allowed without written permission.

Redactive Media Group Ltd, 71-75 Shelton Street, London WC2H 9JQ