Firms urged to check second-hand vehicles after worker crushed to death19 December 2013

Firms are being warned to ensure second-hand vehicles are safe for operation, after an employee of a skip hire company was crushed to death while using a skid steer loader to move rubbish.

Blackburn Skip Hire and its owner Zarif Mohammed were ordered to pay £80,000 in fines and costs, after an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found the vehicle was unsafe to use and that the employee, 21-year-old Amin Qabil, had not received any formal training.

At a hearing on 10 December, Preston Crown Court heard that the firm had bought the second-hand skid steer loader at an auction, but had failed to ensure its safety features were working correctly before using it at its warehouse.

The restraint bar had been disabled, which meant the controls could still be operated when no one was sitting in the cab. The minimum engine speed had also been increased, and a fault meant the vehicle could reverse unexpectedly.

The HSE investigation concluded the most likely explanation for Amin Qabil's death was that he caught a lever as he climbed out of the cab, so he was crushed against the vehicle when the bucket on the front was raised.

Adriano D'Ambrosio, executive at Asons Solicitors, says: "The firm should have ensured that the second-hand skid steer loader was safe to use, before any working task was carried out... Such negligence caused the unacceptable death of a young worker. "

Author
Laura Cork

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