Co. Antrim firm fined after serious crush at recycling plant

Date published: 28 August 2019

A County Antrim recycling company was today fined £25,000 after an employee was crushed between a Refuse Collection Vehicle (RCV) and a mini digger.

ISL Waste Management Ltd, based in Mallusk, pleaded guilty to a breach of health and safety legislation at Laganside Crown Court, after their employee, Mr Grzegorz Mucha, sustained serious injuries after being crushed between the rear of an RCV and the grab attachment of a mini digger on 3 October 2017.

In this incident, Mr Mucha had reversed the RCV into the processing plant in preparation for unloading. The unloading process required the driver to operate controls located to the rear of the RCV. It was while Mr Mucha was working to the rear of the vehicle that the incident occurred.

HSENI Principal Inspector Kyle Carrick said: “The investigation found the company failed to implement a suitable management system to segregate pedestrians and vehicles on site. 

“Loading and unloading activities are high risk activities and often require drivers to leave the safety of their vehicle cab.  Where drivers may need to leave their cabs to perform essential tasks (such as opening container doors and operating discharge controls), adequate safeguards should be in place to protect them.

“This incident was entirely foreseeable and could have been avoided had appropriate control measures been put in place to maintain an adequate separation distance between vehicles and pedestrians." 

Further guidance on controlling the risks associated with vehicle movements at waste and recycling facilities is available online at https://wishforum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/WASTE-09-.pdf