Complete Utilities, based in Gloucester, has been fined £80,000 after an employee died from crushing injuries sustained at work.

Spencer Powles 62, from Coleford, returned to the company's works yard in Maisemore to collect a road saw. While there, he was pinned between a telehandler and a metal shipping container when the vehicle lurched forward.

Mr Powles suffered severe injuries to his abdomen and was airlifted to Frenchay hospital in Bristol, where he died 10 days later.

Gloucester Crown Court heard that the incident, on 24th October 2012, happened when the operator of the telehandler was attempting to position its front carriage above the road saw, with the intention of lifting it onto Mr Powles' lorry.


However, the operator braked suddenly when he saw Mr Powles appear by the saw. This caused the vehicle to lurch forward, trapping Mr Powles between the carriage of the telehandler and the container.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) established that the operator of the telehandler had not received proper training from a qualified instructor. The site itself was found to be disorganised and chaotic with no measures to organise traffic or safely separate vehicles and pedestrians on site.

The investigation also found that no safe system of work for the lifting of such items had been put in place and the telehandler was poorly maintained.

Complete Utilities was also ordered to pay costs of £27,000 after pleading guilty to breaching Regulation 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

(CD)