A Salford-registered blacksmiths and welding firm is one of two fined a total of £815,000 after a father-to-be was crushed to death by a bin lorry.
Richard Calsen, 25, was fatally injured when the driver of a 20-tonne refuse vehicle accidentally closed the tailgate on him at the John Fowler & Sons (JFS) depot in Chorley.
Mr Calsen went into cardiac arrest and sadly died at the scene.
He had returned to work overtime at the plant when the accident happened, on 17 May 2014.
His 29-year-old partner has since given birth to their daughter.
Preston Crown Court heard that the combination of faulty wiring on the vehicle and poor working practices by two companies led to Mr Calsen’s death.
JFS and Veolia ES Sheffield Ltd, the firm which owned the refuse vehicle, admitted several breaches of health and safety in the lead up to the tragedy.
Both firms were sentenced after an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Investigators said the death was “entirely preventable” and criticised both companies for failing to ensure staff were adequately protected.
JFS were fined £65,000 with £12,443 costs.
Veolia were handed a much larger fine of £750,000 when the HSE discovered that the company had failed to notice that a safety limit switch – which would have stopped the tailgate from closing fully – was jammed in the wrong position.
The vehicle was designed so that it shouldn’t have been possible to close the tailgate from the driver’s cab.
HSE inspector Rohan Lye said Veolia’s “failure to include the functionality of a manufacturer-stated safety critical device” contributed to Mr Calsen’s untimely death.
Lye added after the hearing: “This tragic incident was entirely preventable.
“It is important for organisations to maintain safety critical devices so they function correctly.
“Additionally, if a company utilises a system of work which does not rely on the effectiveness of that safety device, but then employs a contractor to work on the machine, there should be an effectively communicated handover so both are aware of any limitations and how the machine could function.
“Veolia…exposed non-employees to unnecessary risk and ultimately contributed to this appalling loss of life.
“Similarly, JFS’s failure to implement a safe system of work for the maintenance of the RCV meant that any of its employees were exposed to the same risk.
“As a result of the failings on behalf of both duty-holders, Rick Calsen, a young man and father-to-be lost his life whilst going about his work.”
Pentonville Road, London, was found guilty of breaching Regulation 6(2) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £750,000 with £11,981 costs.
John Fowler and Son (Blacksmiths and Welders) Limited, of Bexley Square, Salford, was found guilty of breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
