Company director, 66, jailed and gardening supplies firm fined £700,000 after engineer, 48, was crushed to death by a robotic arm when its safety were disabled
- Michael Hall, 66, was jailed for five years after being convicted of manslaughter
- Andrew Tibbott, 48, was crushed by a machine while working at Deco-Pac Ltd
A 66-year-old company director has been jailed for five years after a 48-year-old engineer was crushed to death by a robot arm while working at his firm.
Engineer Andrew Tibbott, 48, was found dead by his own family after they went to his workplace in Hipperholme West Yorkshire, following his failure to return home.
Company director Michael Hall, 66, has now been sentenced to five years in jail, and his gardening supply firm Deco-Pak Ltd has been ordered to pay a £700,000 fine following the 48-year-old’s engineer’s death.
Hall was found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence and a second health and safety offence after his firm was repeatedly warned of the dangers of the machine.
Investigators found safety systems that were supposed to protect people working with the mechanical packing machine had been bypassed and that a protective fence had been removed.
Deco-Pak Ltd director Michael Hall, 66, (pictured) was jailed for five years after being found guilty of manslaughter
Mr Tibbott, 48, had been a maintenance engineer for just under six weeks at garden supplies company Deco-Pak Ltd.
The mechanical arm was part of a powerful machine that was used to move gravel and stone into bags on pallets for transportation.
However, aprobe found that several safety measures had been removed or disabled within weeks of the machine’s installation in 2015.
The company had also received a report two months before Mr Tibbott’s death warning them of potentially serious consequences.
The victim was discovered at the company’s premises in Hipperholme, West Yorkshire, on April 14, 2017, and had been working alone on the machine at the time.
Although an ambulance was called he had suffered catastrophic crush injuries after becoming trapped by the machine.
On first being installed, the machinery initially had safety fencing and a system designed to disable it, if anyone was to step inside the designated production area.
The safety fencing had, however, been removed to allow for cleaning and maintenance and light barriers to sense movement in the restricted area weren’t working.
The company who had supplied Deco-Pak with the machinery had repeatedly warned management of the risks of the danger the machines presented.
Following an investigation by West Yorkshire Police and the Health and Safety Executive, a trial took place in January 2022 which found Deco-Pak guilty of corporate manslaughter.
The jury was unable to reach a verdict regarding managing director Michael Hall and a re-trial took place earlier this year.
Hall, 66, of Elland, West Yorks, was later found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence as well as a second health and safety offence.
On Friday June 9, at Leeds Crown Court, he was sentenced to five years imprisonment and Deco Pak Limited were fined £700,000 and ordered to pay £90,000 in court costs.
Andrew Tibbott, 48, (pictured) was crushed by the robotic arm while working
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Superintendent Nicola Bryar, said: ‘No family should go through what Andrew’s family did on that fateful evening in 2017.
‘Our thoughts are with them and I would like to thank them for their maintained dignity throughout this lengthy investigation.
‘I do hope they can take some comfort from the sentences imposed today, and the fact that those responsible for Andrew’s tragic death have been held accountable for their gross negligence and failures.
‘The failure to have adequate safety measures in place, showed a complete disregard for the health and safety of those working at the firm which sadly resulted in Andrew losing his life.
‘The company chose to ignore Health and Safety regulations which should have been in place whilst machinery was in operation and ignored repeated warnings about the dangers posed to employees.
‘I hope this case highlights the importance that all firms and businesses must take their responsibilities seriously, they have an obligation to ensure their sites and places of work are fully equipped with all adequate safety measures, to ensure the safety of all of their employees.
‘Failing to adhere to this legislation is a criminal offence and one which can have tragic consequences.’
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector, Jacqueline Ferguson said: ‘Mr Tibbott’s death was wholly avoidable and arose as a direct consequence of a systemic failure within the company to ensure employees’ health and safety at work was protected and that they were not exposed to the risk of serious injury and death.
‘There was a complete failure at management level to appreciate the need to proactively manage health and safety and a failure to react to incidents, injuries and reports of conditions that posed a serious risk to the health and safety of employees and others.
‘Our thoughts remain with Mr Tibbott’s family.’
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