Hermes fined £850,000 after Scots worker crushed to death at Eurocentral depot

David Kennedy died at the parcel sorting office at Eurocentral near Motherwell while undergoing training to operate a trailer mover.

Delivery company Hermes has been fined £850,000 for breaching health and safety laws after a worker was crushed to death at a panel depot.

David Kennedy, 43, was working at the firm’s parcel sorting office at Eurocentral near Motherwell in March 2019 when the horrific incident occurred.

He was training with a colleague on how to operate a trailer mover.

Mr Kennedy was left pinned against a stationary trailer after the tiler head of the trailer mover slipped off within the depot yard and struck him in the chest.

He sustained crush injuries at the scene.

Emergency services arrived and rushed him to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, where he later died from his injuries two days later.

An investigation led to criminal proceedings being brought against the firm after safety procedures had not been followed.

The Health and Safety Executive investigation found that the company failed to ensure that their in-house trainer at Eurocentral was given enough instruction on how training should be delivered.

No one on-site monitored whether the appropriate training was taking place.

The company’s training plan stated that towing a trailer should not take place until the second hour of the training.

Mr Kennedy started his practical training around 30 minutes before the incident occurred.

He was already involved in moving a laden trailer with the mover at that time.

The company also failed to ensure that the trainer used two trained workers at all relevant times while teaching.

The trainer was sometimes in a position where it is unlikely that he would have been able to see and correct any mistakes.

Hermes Parcelnet Ltd, based in Leeds, appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court and admitted breaching health and safety laws at the depot between August 2018 and March 2019.

Soon after the incident, the company removed all trailer movers from service across its UK sites.

Alistair Duncan, Head of the Health and Safety Investigation Unit of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, said: “David Kennedy lost his life in foreseeable circumstances and entirely avoidable.

“By failing to identify the risks arising from training employees in the operation of a trailer mover, Hermes Parcelnet Limited put their employees at unacceptable risk.

“This prosecution should remind other employers that failing to keep their employees safe can have fatal consequences, and they will be held accountable for this failure.

"Our thoughts are with Mr Kennedy’s family at this challenging time."