A company has been fined more than half a million pounds after a York worker fell to his death.
Mark Pinder, 51, was working for East Riding Sacks Ltd at its site near Stamford Bridge when the incident happened on 11 February 2023.
Mr Pinder, from York, was working the night shift at the manufacturer of paper sacks when the tragedy happened.
He was operating one of the production lines when a blockage occurred on the upper deck of the machinery.
After identifying the cause, he attempted to remove the obstructions.
He was standing on the stationary metal rollers when his colleagues witnessed part of the machine being activated. Mr Pinder was struck by the machine which caused him to lose his footing.
He fell about three metres from the unguarded edge of the metal rollers to the factory floor below.
Paramedics were called but were unable to save him. He died at the scene as a result of his injuries.
Death was avoidable
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated the incident. It found that East Riding Sacks Ltd failed to provide a robust safe system of work relating to the isolation of the sack-making line and the removal of blockages.
The company also failed to identify the risk from a fall from height and implement appropriate measures.
Workers routinely cleared blockages themselves, relying solely on the interlock guarding to stop the machine. But they hadn’t been adequately trained in isolation or blockage removal procedures.
Workers were also using the conveyor belt as a shortcut between gantries, often climbing over the handrails onto the equipment rather than down the stairs and walking around. Management were unaware this was happening.
HSE guidance states employers must take effective measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery and to avoid work at height where possible.
Where routine access is required to components, suitable measures should be taken to stop the movement of dangerous parts before a person can reach a danger zone.
East Riding Sacks Ltd, of Full Sutton Industrial Estate, Stamford Bridge, Full Sutton, York, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
The company was fined £533,000 and ordered to pay £6,066 in costs at Hull Magistrates Court on 30 April 2025.
HSE inspector Elliot Archer said: “Every year, a significant proportion of accidents, many of them serious and often fatal, occur as a result of people accessing dangerous parts of machinery and working at height.
“Where access beyond machinery guarding and safety devices is required for the removal of blockages, robust isolation procedures to remove all sources of power should be implemented alongside a suitable safe systems of work.
“Had these been in place, and the recognition of work at height being undertaken been flagged by the company, with appropriate controls implemented, this incident would have been avoidable.”