NORTHFLEET: Company fined following death of worker
1:14pm Wednesday 30th September 2009 in Search By Court reporter
A COMPANY in Northfleet has been fined after a worker was fatally injured by a heavy metal plate falling on him.
North Kent Shotblasting Ltd was fined £150,000 at Maidstone Crown Court yesterday (Sept 29).
The case followed the death of Nigel Harrison on October 20, 2006.
He died from injuries suffered while he was sealing and painting a 975kg metal plate.
The plate was left unsecured and unstable, causing it to fall on top of him at the company’s Grove Road site.
In February the shotblasting company pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety regulations.
The company was also ordered to pay costs of £24,000.
Health and Safety Executive inspector David Fussell said: “The fatal injuries to Mr Harrison were easily preventable, and the incident came about through a combination of events, which included the reliance on a fatally flawed system of work and the company’s complete lack of control over employee’s safety.
“This resulted in employees deciding for themselves on how best to secure these heavy metal plates.
“HSE will not tolerate employers exposing their employees to unacceptable risks at work.”
