A cargo handling company has been fined after an employee was
fatally crushed between shipping containers whilst working in a
container park in Portsmouth .
On 25 August 2017, Mr Mieczysław Tadeusz Siwak, a 34-year-old
father-of one, was working for Portico Shipping Limited (formerly
MMD (Shipping Services) Limited on the night shifting the
container park. His job was to connect refrigerated container units
to electrical supplies, which his colleague had lifted into position
for him using container stacker vihicle. It was during one of these
manoeuvres that Mr Siwak was fatally crushed between two
containers.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
found that the company routinely failed to provide supervision
and drivers working on the night shift to ensure safe systems
of work were followed. This included failure to use safe walkways
to segregate pedestrians from vehicles and the safe operation of
container stackers by driving with shipping containers in the raised
position to allow visibility.
Portico Shipping Limited of Guildhall Square, Portsmouth,
Hampshire pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health
& Safety at Work Act 1974. At Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court the
company was fined £200,000 and ordered to pay costs of
£15,631.61.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Rebecca Lumb said:
“Safe systems work should be in place on sites with moving
vehicles to prevent pedestrians coming into contract with
traffic or moving machinery. When moving containers by
container stacker, the load should be transported as low as
possible whilst maintaining full line of sight. Supervisors must
be given the necessary instruction an training to implement the
safe systems of working manage hazards during operation
processes. This tragic incident was entirely preventable had the
correct safety management procedures and supervision been
in place at the site.”
