Civil engineering company fined after fatal accident.

A civil engineering company was fined £75,000 with £24,482.80 costs after a worker was crushed to death between a digger and a dumper on a Sheffield building site.

Sheffield Crown Court heard that in December 2014, RMB Contractors, of Derbyshire, was laying a new concrete slab at Ballast Phoenix, Claywheels Lane, Sheffield.

During ground preparation, an old cable duct had to be dug out before the concrete could be laid. A 21-tonne tracked excavator was being used to dig out the duct, parked behind it was a stationary dumper truck.

As the excavator was working back towards the dumper, Darren Richardson was crushed between the two pieces of plant. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Belper-based RMB Contractors admitted breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

HSE inspector, Medani Close, said: “Back-to-back plant activities should be avoided as both pedestrians and vehicles could be put at a higher risk of coming into contact with each other.

“If the two separate work activities cannot be avoided, then the area should be safeguarded and effectively managed with segregation in place, for example using fencing, or barriers, to delineate  ‘no go’ areas for pedestrians.”