Companies Fined After Grandfather Crushed to Death at Bow Recycling Plant
Two firms have been slapped with hefty fines following the tragic death of Russell Hartley, a 48-year-old grandfather, at a recycling centre in Bow. The fatal accident happened on February 24, 2020, as Hartley was replacing machinery at a facility on Twelvetrees Crescent.
Family’s Heartbreak: “I Can’t Accept He’s Gone”
Russell, from Sheffield, was hailed by his wife Debbie as a “fantastic father and husband” and “one of the nicest guys you could ever meet.” A father of three and grandfather to three grandchildren, Debbie shared the family’s grief, saying, “I feel like sometimes I am just waiting for him to come home. I can’t accept that he has gone as I couldn’t say goodbye.”
HSE Calls Death “Entirely Avoidable”
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation revealed Russell was crushed when a huge piece of machinery—a Trisomat screen, also called a ‘flip-flop’—toppled while being lifted off a telehandler using a crane. The ‘flip-flop’ is used to sort waste by size. Another worker standing on the machine was thrown off but escaped serious injury.
HSE inspectors Mark Slater and David Beaton led the investigation, which concluded that proper planning, management, and monitoring of the task could have prevented the fatal incident. The report blasted the contractors—Premier Engineering Projects Ltd and M&M Mobile Crane Hire Ltd—for failing to ensure worker safety.
Inspector Mark Slater said, “Had this work been planned, managed, and monitored to a sufficient standard, this incident was entirely avoidable and Mr Hartley’s family would still have him in their lives. Risks from lifting and moving equipment of this size are entirely foreseeable and must be handled with utmost care.”
Firms Receive Fines and Costs Totaling Over £90,000
- Premier Engineering Projects Ltd, based in Carlton, Barnsley, pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety laws. They were fined £28,000 and ordered to pay £9,277 in costs.
- M&M Mobile Crane Hire Ltd, from Colnbrook, Slough, also pleaded guilty and received a £48,000 fine plus £9,500 in costs.
Russell Hartley’s tragic death serves as a grim reminder of the devastating consequences when workplace safety is ignored.
