Denis Thornhill and his company DS Thornhill (Rushton) Restricted were fined a blended £16,000 after 64-One year-aged Designate Younger changed into once killed at Moss Hall Farm in Tarporley on 1st February 2021.
Designate Younger worked as a roof craftsman and changed into once engaged by Thornhill to repair the roof of a packing shed at his farm.
Earlier this One year, both Thornhill and the company were learned guilty of breaching health and safety regulations following a six-week trial at Chester Crown Court docket. The jury cleared 78-One year-aged Thornhill of a cost of wicked negligence manslaughter. They returned to the identical court on 11th October 2024 for sentencing.
All thru the trial, the court changed into once instantaneous that on 29th January 2021, Mr Younger had been requested to invent repairs to a roof panel and fix a blocked gutter on the identical constructing. On the more than just a few hand, as he changed into once walking across the roof, he broken a 2nd roof panel so a replacement changed into once purchased to enact a extra repair.
He returned with his son three days later to total the work and requested to be raised as a lot as invent it. Denis Thornhill arrived with a forklift truck that had a potato field balanced on its forks. Mr Younger changed into once lifted up within the potato field to a height of around 16 toes, whereas his son, who changed into once on the roof, attempted to reposition the panel from above. As Mr Younger moved to 1 side of the potato field, it prompted it to overbalance and he fell to the ground, sustaining lethal head injuries.
Paramedics were known as but were unable to resuscitate him and he changed into once pronounced lifeless at the scene.
HSE inspector Ian Betley stated after the hearing: “This changed into once a tragic incident that can even so without concerns were averted. The forklift truck and potato field were the atrocious items of equipment for the job and never a correct platform for working at height. The work should always as a change were utilized the spend of a tower scaffold, scissor desire or a cherry picker.
“In bringing the forklift truck and potato field and the spend of it to desire Designate at height, the company changed into once as a lot as speed of the work but had didn’t put into effect just correct-looking out planning and acquire execution of it.
“All corporations have confidence a correct accountability to make certain the protection of workers they exercise or who enact work for them. If that had took plight in this case, then Designate’s existence wouldn’t were lost.”
A joint investigation by Cheshire Constabulary and the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) learned that on the day of the accident there changed into once no acquire system of labor implemented for working at height and injurious work equipment changed into once old. The potato field didn’t have confidence the a in point of fact noteworthy safety aspects for a non-built-in work platform and had no longer been secured in a mode to prevent it overbalancing. Furthermore, the forklift truck had no longer been subjected to a thorough examination at the a in point of fact noteworthy frequency. It changed into once injurious for lifting of us and Denis Thornhill changed into once no longer formally trained in working forklift autos. Enforcement circulate changed into once taken and a prohibition ogle changed into once served on the company prohibiting extra work till a acquire system changed into once devised.
Denis Thornhill of Eaton Lane, Tarporley, Cheshire changed into once cleared of manslaughter but changed into once learned guilty of breaching Fragment 37 of the Health and Safety at Work and heaps others. Act 1974, by advantage of 37(1) of the Act and changed into once fined £4,000 and ordered to pay costs of £4,000.
DS Thornhill (Rushton) Restricted of Moss Hall Farm, Moss Hall Lane, Tarporley, Cheshire changed into once learned guilty of breaching Fragment 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work and heaps others. Act 1974 and changed into once fined £12,000 and ordered to pay costs of £10,000.
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