Malcolm Harrison was working at the international food and feed giant’s terminal at Seaforth Dock in Liverpool on September 6, 2012 when a stockpile of soya meal collapsed on him. The 64 year-old from Keighley died of his injuries in hospital.
Following an investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) into Mr Harrison’s death, Cargill was charged with breaching Section 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The regulation relates to failing to ensure the safety of non-employees.
‘Risks to health or safety’
The section states: “It shall be the duty of every employer to conduct his undertaking in such a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that persons not in his employment who may be affected thereby are not thereby exposed to risks to their health or safety.”
Cargill, which has its headquarters in Fairmile Lane, Cobham, was fined £600,000 and ordered to pay costs of £20,095.10 at Liverpool Crown Court.
In a statement, the company said: “Following the tragic death of Malcolm Harrison at our Seaforth facility in Liverpool in 2012, we have been working together with the HSE and others in the industry to minimise the risk of accidents such as this happening in the future.
‘Signage, rules and procedures’
“As a result we have now implemented new driver safety signage, rules and procedures on our sites. While we had steps in place to actively manage drivers in our stores, we believe that the changes we have made since 2012 show that there was more we could have done.
“Safety remains our top priority for the company. Our thoughts continue to be with the Harrison family.”
Aside from animal feed, Cargill is involved in a wide range of UK activities, from food ingredients and poultry processing to ocean transport and logistics, employing 3,000 at 19 locations.