Builders’ merchant fined £2m after worker killed in conveyor crush in Bury
Paul Coulson died after a colleague started a conveyor not realising he had climbed inside it
A builders’ merchant has been fined more than £2 million after a worker was crushed to death by a three-tonne pallet of timber.
Paul Coulson, 56, died after a colleague started a conveyor not realising Mr Coulson had climbed inside it, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said.
The incident happened on May 22 2024 at Herringswell Sawmills, a site in Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk operated by Huws Gray Limited.
Mr Coulson, a labourer, had been tasked with removing plastic packaging from pallets of timber before they could be processed at the mill.
He had climbed within the framework of the conveyor to access some of the packaging, but another operative, who could not see Mr Coulson from his location, started the conveyor, which resulted in the pack of timber moving forward and colliding with him, the HSE said.
The operative, who could see that the pack of timber was not moving along the conveyor as it should, reversed it before changing its direction, this resulted in the pack of timber moving forwards again, colliding with Mr Coulson a second time, the HSE added.
Mr Coulson died at the scene.
An investigation by the HSE found that the company, which provides supplies to the building trade from hundreds of sites across Great Britain, had previously identified that employees were accessing the danger zone within the conveyor and placed signage asking them not to do so.
But, CCTV analysis showed that between April 14 and May 23 2024, operatives entered within the framework of the conveyor on 19 different occasions, the HSE said.
Although the company had placed stickers on the conveyor in a bid to tackle the working practice, no further action was taken to prevent access until after the incident.
The measures subsequently introduced to reduce the risk included guarding the conveyor to prevent access, changing the system of work so that the pallets were unwrapped before being placed on the conveyor, as well as installing more CCTV to allow all angles to be seen by those operating it, the HSE said.
Huws Gray Limited based in Llangefni, Anglesey, Wales, pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 Section 2(1) and was fined £2.2 million and ordered to pay full costs of £9,929 at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
HSE inspector Joanne Williams said: “This was a staggering failure that has cost a man his life and robbed a family of their loved one, and the scale of the fine handed down reflects the gravity of this case.
“All companies, regardless of their size, must follow the hierarchy of control for guarding dangerous parts within work equipment.
“Our investigation revealed that in this case, Huws Gray Ltd chose to control a serious risk through instruction alone – instead of putting proper safeguarding measures in place.
“This meant employees were able to access a danger area, with tragic consequences.
“Had Huws Gray Ltd taken robust action when they became aware of the problem, Paul Coulson would be alive today.
“Our thoughts will always remain with his family and friends for the loss they have suffered.”