Garage fined £200,000 following fatal accident

Mechanic crushed to death by lorry while carrying out repairs

Garage fined £200,000 following fatal accident
Image: Bigstock.

Ford and Slater Ltd, a garage in King’s Lynn, has been fined £200,000 after one of its mechanics was fatally crushed by a lorry.

The incident occurred in May 2022 when Marcin Horyza was working underneath a DAF lorry to repair the front-end air suspension. A loss of air pressure caused the vehicle to lower, tragically crushing Mr. Horyza.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that the company had failed to conduct a proper risk assessment and had not provided Mr. Horyza with the necessary equipment and safeguards to prevent the accident.

HSE Inspector Michael Cikkubs emphasised the importance of thorough risk assessments and the implementation of appropriate control measures to prevent such tragedies.

In a statement, Nigel Strevens, joint managing director of Ford and Slater Ltd, expressed deep regret for the tragic accident and acknowledged the company’s failure to adequately mitigate the risks involved.

The company has since implemented measures to improve its health and safety procedures.

The inquest into Mr. Horyza’s death was subsequently suspended, with the details of the accident having been heard during the court proceedings.

Source: Eastern Daily Press

2 Comments

  1. Time pressure, need to get get the job done, I’ve done this job hundreds of times before, I don’t need all that health and safety crap, customer has been on phone saying he needs the vehicle back urgently. Sadly a guy has lost his life in horrific circumstances. The least we can do is take on board the potential fatal error precursor’s above. Give yourself time to think, what’s the worst that could happen on this task.

    Reply
  2. Well said Mark, there’s far too many incidents of this nature. A mechanic was killed near me when the air suspension on a bus suddenly deflated whilst he was under it. Only yesterday, I was reading an article about a mechanic who was also killed in a similar incident when he had his head in a wheel arch. Take a moment to realise what could happen and make sure the vehicle you’re working on is adequately supported before you go under it.

    Reply

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