A NEWPORT recycling company was yesterday fined £200,000 after breaches in health and safety procedures led to the death of a man.

Sims Group UK Ltd previously pleaded guilty to an offence under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 after delivery driver Adrian Turner, 50, of Wolverhampton, died after being hit by a falling bale of scrap metal at the Sims Metal site, Newport Docks, on April 28, 2008.

The bale fell from a pile being worked on by Sims worker Stephen Luckett when Mr Turner was unloading his lorry.

Mr Luckett, 40 of Frobisher Road, Somerton, was acquitted of his manslaughter following a trial last month.

Gregg Taylor, prosecuting, told Cardiff Crown Court, there was confusion among workers about the correct procedure for operating cranes when pedestrians were working nearby.

Some workers said they were unsure about the safe distance that should be left between the crane and the worker on the ground and some said they did not know they should stop operating the crane when pedestrians were nearby, the court heard.

Mr Taylor said the company also failed to update safety guidelines following an accident at the firm’s Avonmouth site in which a delivery driver received serious head injuries when he was hit by a 15m metal bar, which also fell from a scrap metal pile.

Prashant Popat QC, defending, said Sims had an excellent health and safety record and took the matter very seriously.

He said workers were given a full safety induction and regular inspections and risk assessments were also carried out as well as safety audits several times a year.

But he accepted that some practices such as lowering the grab arm when pedestrians were in the area and safe working distances, had been misinterpreted by some workers.

Since the accident the company has carried out a health and safety review at all its European sites and has introduced new safety measures, he said, including a video which all visiting drivers must watch before entering the site.

Two additional workers, known as banksmen, have also been introduced to monitor drivers unloading their lorries to ensure safety.

The Recorder of Cardiff, Nicholas Cooke QC, fined the company £200,000 and ordered them to pay £5,000 in funeral and out of pocket costs to Mr Turner’s widow as well as £57,500 legal costs to the Health and Safety Executive.

He said he was satisfied that standards had fallen short on a local level but said he was satisfied that it was not a company-wide issue and that measures to prevent it happening again had been put in place.

Full review carried out

A spokeswoman for the company said: "Sims Group UK Limited offers its sincere condolences to the family and friends of Adrian Turner who was killed in this tragic incident.

"Sims takes health and safety extremely seriously. The company has made every effort to prevent such a tragedy from happening again and a full review of the scrap handling process has been undertaken."