Companies fined £185,000 over drowned employee
Fines totalling £185,000 have been issued to a British port and
Italian shipping company following the unfortunate death of an
employee in 2005.
Luigi Feola died when he fell into the water at Newhaven Docks
as he carried goods across a narrow bridge, which connected a
Sardina Vera Ferry to the dock's quay.
Someone on board the ship heard a splash about an hour after the
ferry had docked and raised the alarm. A search was mounted
immediately, however Mr Feola's body was not recovered until the
next day. The post-mortem found that Mr Feola had suffered a head
wound before drowning.
Investigations conducted by the Health and Safety Executive
(HSE) found that Sardina Vera ferry - owned by Forship - and
Newhaven Port & Properties - which controls both private and
passenger services - could both be held accountable for the death
of Mr Feola in January 2005.
The HSE also found that Mr Feola had been working nearly 100
hours a week for Forship and that there was insufficient edge
protection on the quayside from which Mr Feola was working, the
quayside was not properly lit, and the risks of the job had not
been assessed.
Newhaven Port & Properties pleaded guilty to breaching
section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was
fined £85,000, plus additional costs of £34,000, at Croydon Crown
Court.
"The lack of proper planning, combined with the appalling state
of the quayside at the port, led to the unnecessary death of Mr
Feola," commented HSE Inspector Paul Vinnicombe after the case.
"This highlights why rigorous health and safety procedures are
needed at working ports, and it is totally unacceptable that
improvements identified following the incident were not made
sooner."