Stewart Ramsay, aged 24 and from Mansfield, was working for Creagh Concrete Products (CCP) at its Thurgarton Lane site in Hoveringham when he suffered fatal head injuries on 15th March 2017.
He and colleagues were using a metal grab to unload Spantherm, Creagh’s flooring slabs, from some trailers.
Stew Ramsay’s head became trapped in the jaws of the grab after a rope connected to the locking lever snapped. Even though the rope was tied in a double-knot, the locking mechanism released the jaws of the grab as Mr Ramsay pulled on it, causing fatal injuries.
An investigation by the Health & Safety executive (HSE) found that CCP did not have a safe system of work for the use of the grab and had not carried out a risk assessment to identify risks for its use. Both the grab and a fork lift truck being used at the time were in poor condition. Neither should have been in service at the time of the incident. CCP had failed to ensure that these pieces of work equipment had been maintained in an efficient state, efficient working order or in good repair.
Creagh Concrete Products Limited of Hoveringham pleaded guilty of breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 in that it failed to ensure, so far as was reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all its employees. On 5th April 2023 at Nottinghamshire Crown Court, the company was fined £1,000,000 and ordered to pay costs of £47,521.08.
HSE Inspector Mr Amandip Dhanda said after the hearing: ”This tragic incident led to the avoidable death of a young man. Stewart’s death could easily have been prevented if his employer had acted to identify and manage the risks involved, and to put a safe system of work in place.
“The work equipment being used at the time of the incident should not have been in use, and the employer would have known this had they effectively followed their own health and safety systems.”
Stew Ramsay’s mother, Carol Hansford, said: “Things like this shouldn’t happen – it destroys families forever. Nobody should have to go through what we have done these past six years.”
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