A Cardiff-based steel company has been fined £112,500 after a worker was killed by a two-tonne steel beam. Mark Walker, 37, from Newport, suffered fatal injuries while trying to move the beam at a warehouse in Trident Industrial Park, Cardiff, in June 2012.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted CMC UK Ltd, which pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety legislation at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday. The court heard that Mr Walker was working alone, attempting to load the steel beam onto a conveyor feeding a computer-controlled saw he was using for the first time.
As the father-of-one tried to move the stacked columns, which were 52 feet (16 metres) long, the top beam fell on him, killing him instantly. An HSE investigation found no instructions on how to safely split and lift the columns, and Mr Walker, an experienced warehouseman, had not received training for this task.
HSE Inspector Dean Baker said after the hearing: 'Mark Walker tragically lost his life in this avoidable incident. Had the lifting operation been properly planned and appropriately supervised and employees given adequate training, Mr Walker would still be alive.'
