Engineering firm fined £80k over man's crush death

An engineering company has been fined £80,000 after a man was crushed by machinery at work and killed.

Connor Borthwick, 22, became trapped under a large cutting machine which had become unbalanced at Partwell Special Steels Limited in Blackburn on 25 November 2021.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said his death could have been avoided if the company had taken appropriate assessments of the risks involved.

Mr Borthwick, of Wigan, was "amazing and caring", his family said, adding that "simple steps" should have been taken to keep him safe.

An investigation found that Mr Borthwick and another colleague were trying to move the machine across the workshop floor, using skates placed underneath, when it became unbalanced.

The machine was being lowered by a jack on to one of the skates, and as it became unbalanced it fell backwards on to Mr Borthwick, trapping him beneath and causing fatal injuries.

Speaking on behalf of the family, his sister Emily said he was her "amazing, caring, loving and funny little brother".

"Everyone loved Connor," she said.

"He was a good soul, and this was evident from the more than 700 people who came to his funeral to pay their respects and share their personal accounts of how Connor had touched their lives.

"Some simple steps should have been taken and weren't, if they were Connor would be with us today".

The HSE said Partwell Special Steels Limited had not undertaken an assessment of the risks involved with moving the machine and that the task had not been suitably planned and no safe system of work had been provided to the employees.

It also found that neither employee had been given suitable and sufficient training.

The HSE said a suitable and sufficient assessment of the work equipment provided would have shown that the skates used were unsuitable for the work.

The company pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

It was fined £80,000 and ordered to pay £6,713 in costs at a hearing at Preston Magistrates' Court.

HSE Inspector Anthony Banks said: "This company's failures resulted in the death of a much-loved young man.

"Those in control of work activities, including the movement of heavy machinery from one part of a site to another, need to assess the risks of that work, and plan a safe way to undertake it.

"This tragic incident could have easily been avoided with the right controls in place".

A spokeswoman for Partwell Special Steels Limited said their thoughts and prayers were with Mr Borthwick's family and the firm was "devastated by his loss".

She said nothing like this had ever happened before and the firm had "made improvements" and was "committed to ensuring it does not happen again".

"Connor was a much-loved and respected member of our team and is greatly missed," she said.

"His sense of humour and hilarious anecdotes always brought a smile to our faces.

"As a small family business, we care deeply about the health and safety of all our staff and continue to feel his absence."

Staff would "continue to celebrate his life by raising money for the charities he has chosen", she added.

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