Farming business fined £320,000 after death of employee

A Lancashire fruit and vegetable company has been fined £320,000 after an employee was killed operating unsafe machinery.

Frank Schlachter suffered fatal head injuries after he fell from a skip at a farm operated by MA Forshaw Ltd.

The 64-year-old from Southport was tipping food waste into a skip from a container attached to a forklift truck.

Mr Schlachter was manually assisting the operation, and was stood on top of the skip when the container detached from the fork lift, causing him to fall to the ground and suffer fatal head injuries.

See also: Top farming safety tips from Farmers Weekly readers

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found MA Forshaw had not fully assessed the risks involved in this task, and the company had failed to maintain equipment in safe working order, or to properly instruct staff in safe working practices.

Mr Schlachter’s wife, Linda, said: “I have lost my soulmate.

“No man should go to work and never return home after a day of hard work.”

The company pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 2(1) of the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974. They were fined £320,000 and were ordered to pay £4,574 costs at a hearing at Wirral Magistrates’ Court last week.

HSE inspector Lianne Farrington said the incident could have been prevented. “This wholly avoidable tragic incident led to the death of a much-loved husband, dad and granddad.

“It was caused by the failure of the company to implement safe systems of work, properly maintain work equipment, and sufficiently assess the risks involved in routine work processes.

“If suitable work practices had been in place prior to the incident, Frank’s death could have been prevented.”