Two directors and one manager charged with gross negligence manslaughter

Our blog’s mantra is not to place blame on the company nor the worker. Our sincere hope is by bringing awareness to these incidents we will prevent recurrence. Though we do not place blame local governments do. Here is a recent story of an fatal incident and the recent development.

A worker died after suffering serious head injuries while working at an aluminium recycling company back in 2017.

The father-of-one's death was the first of two workplace deaths in the local area in the United Kingdom in quick succession, with a factory worker killed in an explosion at a a different recycling plant two weeks later.

The Health and Safety Executive launched an investigation into the worker’s death and now, three years on, detectives from the local police department have charged the aluminium recycling company with corporate manslaughter.

In addition, two company directors and a manager have all been charged with gross negligence manslaughter. They will appear at a local Magistrates Court for an initial hearing on in September 2020.

The family of the deceased worker, have released a statement today, describing (their loved one) as "full of life" and someone who always had a smile on his face.

They added that they hope their questions about his death will be answered now the charges have been made.

The statement said: "It has been almost three years since we sadly lost (name omitted)  and there is not a day that passes that we don’t think of him.

“The past three years have been very painful and it breaks our hearts he is no longer with us.

“Following the news of the charges that have been made, we remain hopeful that our questions will be answered so we can begin to make sense of this tragedy.

“(Name omitted) was loving, caring, generous, full of life and always had a smile on his face. He was always willing to help anyone that needed it and would never expect anything in return. His huge presence is greatly missed by us all.

“Those that knew (name omitted) will have fond memories to look back on. Stuart was always there for his family and friends. “(name omitted) was a father of one, he was a loving son and brother, a good friend with a kind heart. He will be forever loved and always missed.”

The company is a specialist recycler of aluminium cans and extrusion scrap and its factory which covers 100,000 sq ft.

We normally omit the quotes from loved ones regarding their pain and anguish falling a fatal incident. We fear that because we have routinely omitted any quotes from the family that these incidents lack strength.

Prior to COVID we would speak to thousands of workers about safety related topics. This year we were invited to speak to over 10,000 workers around the globe. When we talk to workers about the importance of safety we aim for their heart. Why? Because we want everyone to understand the importance their safety plays upon not only their lives but the lives of the loved ones, friends, coworkers. We will use this incident once the final court case is finished and the findings are released in our future presentations. We will not demean or besmirch the deceased worker. We pray that by using this incident and the above quotes from the deceased worker’s loved one we can reinforce the importance of safety.

We will update this case as more information becomes known.

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