Corus pays the penalty for worker’s death

Steel manufacturer Corus has been fined £250,000 following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the death of one of its workers.

Maintenance manager Francis Coles died in January 2003 at the Trostre Tin Plate works in Llanelli. While helping to change a roller on a piece of equipment that squeezed and stretched steel strips, he walked through a half-metre gap between two rollers and was hit on the head by a falling deflector plate.

Corus UK Ltd, trading as Corus Packaging Plus, pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.

After Swansea Crown Court imposed the fine last month, HSE inspector Alan Strawbridge said: “Heavy industry carries a number of risks, and it was clear from our investigation that there were serious shortcomings in the systems of work in place to manage these risks.”

Pointing out that employers have a duty to protect their staff and contractors through the adoption of safe systems of work, he added: “This case must serve as a warning to all employers, particularly those in higher risk industries, to comply with their legal obligations to avoid tragedies like this taking place again.”