Manufacturer fined following worker death

A manufacturer has been fined £180,000 after an employee was killed in an accident at work.

Christopher Massey was killed at an Andrex factory in Barrow-in-Furness, when he was hit by a piece of machinery.

The global manufacturer was prosecuted following a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation, which found that a dangerous part of a machine had been left unguarded.

Mr Massey had been looking through a gap in the machine to make sure the tissue was being fed through correctly when it began to move a large, two-metre wide reel of tissue into place, striking him on the head.

The HSE investigation discovered that the machine had been modified four months earlier and the deceased had not been trained on the machine since its modification.

David Massey, Christopher's father, stated: "We struggle to come to terms with Christopher’s death on a daily basis. Nothing can replace him being here and dying like that. Not even the memories."

Kimberly-Clark Ltd pleaded guilty to a breach of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 by failing to ensure the safety of its employees.

A large majority of work fatalities occur in the manufacturing sector and companies are urged to take every possible precaution.

Published by Tessa Jones