A ready meal maker has been fined by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) after stacked food trays collapsed and fatally struck an employee.
The worker was helping re-stack a pallet of empty trays when the column – which was 44 cases high – was knocked towards him by a second pallet being delivered by forklift.
An investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) found the company had failed to sufficiently segregate the forklift and employees.
Bakkavor Foods Limited admitted breaking the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974 – by failing to provide a safe system of work in the tray storage area.
It was fined £176,000.
Unsafe system
The HSE said the tragedy was ‘wholly avoidable’ and that it was caused by the company’s failure to implement a safe system of work.
The risk was said to be ‘further amplified’ by the failure to undertake safety measures including segregating vehicles and employees.
