Swindon Crown Court heard how Andrew Poole, 56, employed by Chippenham-based Globalreward Ltd, was killed as a result of crushing injuries to his head when he fell out of the front of an Ammann AV12 ride-on road roller.
Mr Poole was reversing the machine when the seat became separated from the machine, causing him to fall beneath it as it reversed. The driver’s seat was connected to the top of a water tank which sheared off from the body of the machine. He fell off while still connected to the seat and the roller continued to reverse over him.
An investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident, which occurred on 13th August 2012 at Ranch House Farm, Colerne, Wiltshire, found that the roller was in a poor condition and the operator was untrained.
The safety critical defects included that the seat safety cut-out switch that would have immediately halted the machine had been deactivated and the emergency stop button was missing.
Globareward Ltd, of Withymead Road, Marshfield, Chippenham, was fined a total of £10,000, with costs of £30,750, after pleading guilty to an offence under Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
Globalreward director Paul Thomas Andrews, of the same address, was sentenced to two months in prison suspended for two years. He was also ordered to do 200 hours community service for a breach of Section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
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