A retail display firm has been fined £80,000 after a worker was
crushed to death by a stack of falling glass.
Vitalijus Orlovas, originally from Lithuania, was unloading
sheets of glass at Arken PoP's site in Hawkesden Road, St Neots at
the time of the accident in August 2008.
The 29-year-old agency worker, who was living in Peterborough at
the time, was unloading the sheets from a shipping container when
they fell on him - crushing him to death on his first day at
work.
A Health and Safety Executive investigation found that the firm
had not taken measures to ensure that glass could be unloaded
safely at the premises, Peterborough Crown Court heard.
Arken PoP Ltd, of Studlands Park Avenue, Newmarket, provides
point of sale displays for retailers across the country.
The firm admitted breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and
Safety at Work etc Act 1974 at an earlier hearing. As well as the
fine it was ordered to pay £16,914 in costs.
HSE inspector David Head said: "The tragic death of this young
man should never have happened. Arken PoP did not carry out their
legal duty to ensure the health and safety of people that were
working for them - and the result was this horrific incident."
The case highlights the risk of being involved in
accidents at work.