Costain has been fined more than £600,000 when a telehandler overturned and killed a worker in Newbury.

The incident happened during the construction of the Parkway development on 20 July 2011.

Mark Williams, 41, was killed when he was using the vehicle to lift a pallet of tiles to a fourth storey roof.

He tried to flee the telehandler as it began to topple, but he was unable to move away in time and it landed on top of him, causing fatal crush injuries.


His death was investigated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which found the safety of the vehicle was compromised by limited space and other obstructions in the area where he was required to work.

Costain Limited, the principal contractor for the Parkway development, was prosecuted for failing to provide a safer system of work.

Costain was fined a total of £525,000 and ordered to pay a further £90,577 in costs after being found guilty of breaching Sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, and two breaches of Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

(CD/JP)