Firm fined over crush death of worker

Nigel and Gail Lindley with their family on their wedding day

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A gearbox manufacturer has been fined £180,000 after a worker was crushed by a 740kg slab of metal at its Rochdale plant, and later died from his injuries.

Nigel Lindley, an employee at Renold Power Transmission Ltd, was assembling a large metal gear case at a factory on Station Road in Milnrow when one of the sides collapsed on him.

The company, which produces parts for escalators, power stations and water treatment works, was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following an investigation into the fatal incident.

Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard the 47-year-old father of five and grandfather of one from Oldham had been using an overhead crane to move two sections of the metal case into place on 27 November 2008. He removed the chains from one of the sides so he could align them properly and secure them together.

Mr Lindley knelt down to hammer a connecting dowel through the sections when one of the sides fell on him. He died from severe crush injuries.

The HSE investigation found the metal case was the largest ever produced at the site, but employees had not been told how to assemble it safely. The court was told Renold Power Transmission failed to properly assess the risks, or to provide training for operators or supervisors.

Mr Lindley’s widow, Gail Lindley, said: “When Nigel had his accident at work which led to his death I felt as if my whole world had collapsed. He was my best friend as well as my husband, a father and grandfather.

“I have been taking anti depressants now for about 12 months. I still wake up most mornings crying. People told me that the first year would be the hardest; my first Christmas, my birthday, Nigel’s birthday, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day. Yes they were extremely hard; I would like to say that after three years they are just as hard.

“We have all ridiculed Health and Safety laws at some time, but until your life is touched by a serious injury or fatality, you don’t realise what HSE are trying to do to make the workplace a safer environment.

“My husband went to work and didn’t come home. That shouldn’t happen to anybody.”

Phil Strickland, the investigating inspector at HSE, said: “Workers at the site were not told how to safely assemble large gear box cases and so had to make it up as they went along. This ultimately led to the death of Nigel Lindley.

“The risks of workers being crushed by heavy objects is well known in the engineering industry but Renold Power Transmission failed to treat the danger seriously by carrying out a proper assessment and providing training.

“One of the metal sections should been laid flat on the floor so the other side could have been safely lifted into place using the overhead crane. If this had happened then Mr Lindley would still be alive today.”

Renold Power Transmission Ltd, of Renold House in Wythenshawe, admitted breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 by failing to ensure the safety of its employees. It was ordered to pay £8,946 in prosecution costs in addition to the fine.