Firms fined after man crushed to death by giant heating pipe in Sheffield

David Beresford was working in the EON Renewable Energy Plant at Blackburn Meadows on Alsing Road in Sheffield when the tragic accident happened.

The 36-year-old was one of two workers unloading large heating pipes, which were 12 metres long and weighed around 840kg, from a trailer to be placed into containers at the site near Meadowhall.

The Health and Safety Executive, which investigated the tragedy, found that the pipes were being moved using an excavator and had been incorrectly stacked above the top edge of the stillage containers.

The watchdog said Mr Beresford's death was 'wholly avoidable' had proper safety procedures been followed.

The firm was found guilty of breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and was fined £1 million.

RK District Heating, of The Manor House, on Ecclesall Road South, in Sheffield, was also found guilty of breaching the act and was fined the same amount.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Mark Welsh said: "This was a wholly avoidable incident, caused by the failure of both companies to follow safe systems of work, and a failure to identify the risks.

"This tragic incident led to the avoidable death of a young man. There was a lack of planning for the work carried out and, as a result, inadequate controls put in place."