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Bucks waste company fined £280,000 following site vehicle death
A major waste disposal company has been fined after a member of the public was crushed to death at the Civic Amenity site in Newbury, Berkshire.
The prosecution follows an HSE investigation after the death of Dennis Krauesslar on 10 September 2007.
Bucket of loader struck member of public
The death of Mr Krauesslar, from Newbury was caused when he was crushed by a ”motorised loading shovel bucket” used to flatten and drag the waste away from the waste tipping area.
The 57-year-old man was tipping his garden waste into a pit when he was struck by the plant. The Civic Amenity site is now closed.
At Reading Crown Court on 19 April 2010 Biffa Waste Services Limited was fined £280,000 and ordered to pay full costs of over £54,000. The company pleaded guilty to breaching HSW Act 
Section 3(1) after failing to ensure that the garden waste tipping area was safe for members of the public to use.
A guilty plea was also entered to an allegation under MHSW Regulation 3(1)(b) – failing to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment of the garden waste tipping area of the site.
Death could have prevented by proper separation of vehicles and pedestrians
Speaking after sentencing the HSE Head of Operations for the South East, Mike Wilcock said:
“This tragic incident could have been avoided if sensible precautions and working practices had been in place to prevent the loading shovel working in such close proximity to members of the public.”
“Companies operating such sites must carefully assess their arrangements for vehicle and pedestrian separation.”