£40,000 fine after driver killed By Roger Brown BERKSHIRE HAULIER
Page 7
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
John Mould has been fined £40,000 by magistrates after a long-serving driver was knocked over and killed by a tipper truck at his yard.
In a prosecution brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Reading Magistrates Court was told how Brian Gutteridge, 64, from Caversham, was walking to his car at the end of a working day at the J Mould (Reading) premises in Pingewood Road North, Burghfield Bridge, in November 2010.
Gutteridge, who had been employed by Mould for more than 20 years, was crossing a road from the main office to the car park when the lorry struck him The vehicle had pulled over to the side of the road so the driver could talk to another worker, but it pulled back out just as Gutteridge stepped in front of it to walk past.
He died at the site as a result of the injuries sustained.
An HSE investigation found there were no designated crossing points on the road, nothing to segregate pedestrians and vehicles or guide on who had right of way. It said there was a need for a formal traffic management system, including a designated pedestrian crossing, pedestrian walkways, a speed restriction and a strict rule to wear hi-vis clothing at all times.
The HSE also established that J Mould had no formal workplace transport risk assessment, despite being advised by an independent health and safety consultant about pedestrian-vehicle interactions at another site in Reading.
Mould pleaded guilty to single breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 in his capacity as a sole trader. He was also ordered to pay £17,060 costs.
• Turn to page 24 for our guide on health and safety.