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Page 12
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Pentons Haulage fined after driver crushed to death
CHILLED FOODS distributor Pentons Haulage and Cold Storage has been fined £250,000 after one of its lorry drivers was crushed between two vehicles at a Night Owl truckstop.
Jonathan Tiernan had met with a colleague to transfer freight at the site in Featherstone when the accident happened, in October 2005.
Tiernan, 51, died eight months later as a result of his injuries.
South Staffordshire Council prosecuted Oswestry-based Pentons for breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act.
For the council, Barry Berlin told Stafford Crown Court that Tiernan's death could have been avoided and that the company had "systematically failed to provide and maintain a safe working environment for its employees".
The court also heard how the reverse light and warning alarm on the vehicle that crushed the driver was not working.
Councillor Robert Marshall says: "Mr Tiernan's death was a needless tragedy that could have been so easily avoided had the haulage company put into place basic health and safety systems.
"Still too many workers die or are injured every year because of some companies' failure to follow the rules and operate safely."
Pentons was also ordered to pay the council's costs of more than £20,000.
The company declined to comment on the verdict.