Corus UK Ltd, trading as Corus Packaging Plus have been fined £250,000 at Swansea Crown Court following a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation into the death of employee Francis Coles.

Mr Coles died after being struck on the head by a piece of machinery at the Trostre Tin Plate works in Llanelli on 4 January 2003. The company had earlier pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and Regulation 11 of the Provision & Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. The Court imposed total fines of £250,000 and imposed costs of £42,965 at the sentencing hearing.

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HSE Inspector Alan Strawbridge, said: "Heavy industry, by its nature, 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.

Mr Strawbridge also explained that Mr Coles was working in an area where rollers squeeze and stretch steel strips, making them thinner. He had been assisting in the roll change and has to walk through a gap between the rollers when a deflector plate descended and struck him on the head.

"Employers have a legal duty to ensure safe systems of work are in place to protect their staff and contractors, as well as anyone else who may be affected by their work operations. In this case, safe systems of working were not being actively enforced," 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."

(JM)