Skip Firm Fined After Worker Crushed to Death in Shocking Accident
A skip hire company has been slammed for health and safety breaches after a 24-year-old worker was crushed to death on the job. Romanian national Stelian Florin Gavriliuc died at Ace Waste Haulage’s Neasden site in August 2017, just two weeks into his temporary role.
Ace Waste Haulage Found Guilty at Old Bailey
The Old Bailey jury ruled unanimously on Friday, 31 January 2020, that the company failed Stelian in two major ways:
- Neglecting its duty to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of its workers under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
- Failing to organise its Neasden site to keep pedestrians and vehicles apart, breaching the Workplace Health Safety and Welfare Regulations 1992.
The company, which went bust in October 2018, was slapped with a hefty £240,000 fine plus £51,116.29 in court costs.
Tragic Death Exposed Dangerous Workplace Failures
Stelian’s fatal accident happened at around 11.50am on 25 August 2017. After starting his shift on the picking line, he took a lunch break and walked through a processing shed – the only exit route. His colleague found him trapped under the wheels of a shovel loader vehicle and quickly shouted for the driver to stop.
Emergency services arrived promptly, but Stelian sadly died in hospital five days later.
Investigation Reveals Avoidable Safety Blunders
The joint probe by police and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) uncovered major failings at the site:
- Staff had to traverse a busy waste transfer shed with no safe pedestrian route or way to warn drivers.
- An unannounced HSE inspection 18 months earlier warned Ace Waste to create separate pedestrian and vehicle paths – advice the firm ignored.
- The loader’s rear-view mirror was broken, and dirty windows severely limited the driver’s visibility.
“Workers’ safety must be paramount for any business. You cannot cut corners when it comes to protecting life,” said Acting Detective Chief Inspector Saj Hussain. “Stelian had only just started and should have worked in a safe environment. His family and friends will live with this terrible loss forever.”
Detective Constable Julie Moorhouse’s relentless work was praised for pushing the case forward.
