A firm has been fined almost £300,000 after an employee was
killed in a brick factory
work accident when his head was crushed by a conveyor belt.
Peter Clarke, 57, was only on the site in Birmingham for two
weeks when he died in April 2008.
Brick maker Hanson Building Products, which operates the factory
in Coleshill, was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive.
Hanson was fined £280,000 and told to pay £29,204 in costs because
of its "failing standards".
At the time, Mr Clarke, from Bedworth, was checking quality on a
30m conveyor moving concrete blocks from a kiln to an area used for
packing. The conveyor moves in different directions to set the
blocks into larger groups for packaging.
When Mr Clarke leaned forward to take some blocks from the
conveyor, a colleague changed the direction of the machine, causing
Mr Clarke's head to be crushed between the concrete blocks and a
metal platform. The worker did not see Mr Clarke because his view
was blocked.
Health and safety inspector Peter Snelgrove said: "Employers
should understand that where failing standards in the workplace
result in serious injury or death, HSE will prosecute."