The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted a Buckinghamshire waste disposal company, after a member of the public was crushed to death at a waste site.

The incident happened in September 2007 at the Public Amenity site in Pinchington Lane, Newbury, when 57-year-old Dennis Krauesslar was tipping garden waste into the pit.

Mr Krauesslar was hit by the bucket of a motorised loading shovel used to flatten and drag the waste away from the tipping area. He was crushed and suffered fatal injuries. The Public Amenity site in Newbury has now closed.

In February, at a hearing of West Berkshire Magistrates’ Court, Biffa Waste Services Ltd of Coronation Road, Cressex in High Wycombe pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 by failing to ensure that the garden waste tipping area was safe for members of the public to use.

The company also pleaded guilty to contravening Regulation 3(1)(b) of the Managementof Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 by failing to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment of the garden waste tipping area of the site, to ensure people other than employees were suitably protected.

On Monday (19/04/10) at Reading Crown Court, Biffa Waste Services Ltd was fined £280,000 and ordered to pay full costs of £54,906.57.

After the hearing, HSE Head of Operations for the South East, Mike Wilcock said:

‘This tragic incident could have been avoided if sensible precautions and working practices had been in place to prevent the loading shovel working in such close proximity to members of the public.

‘Companies operating such sites must carefully assess their arrangements to ensure that they keep vehicles and pedestrians separate whenever possible.’

© 5r1 Limited 2010