Countrywide Farmers Plc fined for health and safety offences

On Monday September 10, 2007 Countrywide Farmers Plc admitted two offences at Hereford Magistrates Court under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The company was fined £10,000 in total for both offences and was ordered to pay £4,649 in costs.

The breaches were identified in April 2006, when environmental health officers from Herefordshire Council were notified by West Mercia Police of a serious accident at the Countrywide Farmers store on Mortimer Road, Hereford.

It was found that a delivery vehicle was being reversed along the front of the store and had collided with a customer. An inquest concluded that the customer's death was accidental. However, the jury said the management of health and safety was "not a priority" with the company at that time.

The two offences relate to the failure of the company to conduct their undertaking in such a way to protect employees and members of the public to a risk to their health and safety from vehicles.

It was common practice for vehicles to reverse along the front of the store, crossing the pedestrian routes to the exit and entrance of the store. The company were aware of the risks associated with workplace transport but had not introduced adequate procedures to ensure that these risks were controlled.

The company has since introduced satisfactory transport safety procedures on site and a one-way system within the car park to reduce the amount of reversing on site.

Andrew Tector, Herefordshire Council's head of environmental health and trading standards, said: "This case illustrates the importance of properly managing transport safety in the workplace and is a reminder to other businesses to check their procedures."

Health and Safety Executive statistics show that workplace transport is the second biggest cause of work-related fatal accidents and is therefore a priority area for environmental health officers when undertaking health and safety inspections.

Businesses wanting information on how to check the safety of their sites are advised to view the Health and Safety Executives website on workplace transport at www.hse.gov.uk/workplacetransport/index.htm