Fines totalling £700,000 handed to two companies over UPM Shotton paper mill death

Two companies have been fined after a worker suffered fatal crush injuries when he was struck by a shovel loader at Shotton paper mill.

Austin Thomas, a contractor working for Downton, was struck by a bucket loader in the recovered paper warehouse at UPM Shotton

Mold Magistrates Court heard how on 6^th February 2017, 29-year-old Mr Thomas, an employee of Downton Haulage Contractors was fatally crushed when he was struck from behind by a Volvo shovel loader whilst working at UPM 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.

Downton Haulage Contractors 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. They were 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. They were 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”