• A Birmingham transport container company has been fined £60,000 after one of its employees was crushed to death.
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Freightliner was also ordered to pay a total of £3,603 costs after Birmingham Crown Court heard that the company had allowed 55-year-old father of two Trevor Crowther to use an unsuitable and unsafe working practice.
The company had previously admitted one charge under the Health and Safety At Work Act.
James Puzey, prosecuting, said the incident occurred at the Lander Street depot as Crowther was working alone repairing the container. He was underneath and the container was resting on two stands when it fell on him.
Puzey said it was regular practice to use the stands although they had never been designed for the job and had not been inspected since 1997.
The container collapsed as a result of the stands overturning and investigations revealed a general failure to put in place an effective heath and safety system," said Puzey.
Stephen Campbell, defending, said Freightliner accepted it had fallen below standards but had since taken steps to remedy that.
The court heard that Crowther had been employed by the company since 1988.