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Haulage firm fined £20,000 after security guard crushed
A FINE of £20,000 has been imposed on a South Yorkshire haulage firm that broke safety regulations when a security guard was killed at their premises more than two years ago.
Insurers for E Pawson and Son Ltd are also expected to make a substantial compensation payout to the widow of John Cavill, aged 54, of Malwood Way, Maltby, who was crushed to death when a heavy metal gate at the company's staff car park in Ashton Lane, Braithwell, fell off its runners.
The family-owned company, said to be making a loss of 686,000 this year because of a downturn and loss of haulage contracts, was also ordered to pay 5,717 costs by the judge at Doncaster Crown Court.
A previous hearing was told how Mr Cavill is thought to have died instantly when he tried to close the gate and it fell on top of him although it was the next morning before his body was discovered by other workers.
The gate was normally operated automatically but the electrics were affected by the weather and the guard decided to pull it shut.
But there was no metal stop pin to prevent it coming off the rails, said Chris Smith, prosecuting for Doncaster Council.
Pawsons pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act by failing to ensure the safety of employees.
Judge Jacqueline Davies said: "I accept this was an isolated incident and there was no attempt to cut corners which would have contributed to this offence."
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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