Kentish Express Ashford & District
Farm worker crushed by concrete beam
Long-serving employee killed in trailer fall
A farm worker was killed after falling from a trailer and being crushed by a concrete beam which fell on him.
The ‘avoidable’ incident which happened at Haguelands Farm in Burmarsh on Romney Marsh - resulted in a £30,000 fine for the company he worked for following a prosecution by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
On March 13, 2018, Trevor ‘Ted’ Elson, of Ragstone Hollow, Aldington, was working with others to move six-metre-long concrete beams from the farmyard to the farmhouse, where an extension was under construction.
Each beam weighed more than 300kg and needed to be lifted by a forklift.
While on the trailer, attaching lifting chains to unload a beam, Mr Elson, a general farm worker at A.A. Clifton Limited, tripped and fell from the edge, catching one of the beams which was unstable from the way previous beams had been removed.
This beam then fell from the trailer, landing on his upper body and crushing him to death.
An investigation was launched by the HSE, which found that the operation to move the beams was carried out at short notice and had not been properly planned.
The employees were left to decide how to do it themselves, leading to an unsafe system of work.
None of them had been trained in lifting and slinging operations.
At Folkestone Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, January 7, A.A. Clifton Limited pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and were fined £30,000, with full costs of £5,446.
HSE inspector Stephen Green said: “This tragic incident led to the avoidable death of a longterm employee.
“It could easily have been prevented if his employer had acted to identify and manage the risks involved.”
Mr Elson had worked at A.A. Clifton Limited for 47 years from the age of 21 to 68, continuing in a part-time role after retiring.
A statement from the directors of the business said: “We are very sorry as a business and as a family that a loyal and well-regarded colleague died due to a work-related accident.
“As a business, we do our best to ensure a safe place of work, however, unfortunately a regrettable accident happened.
“We deeply regret its happening and have taken steps to ensure that nothing similar happens in the future.”