Evri admits health and safety breach after depot worker killed

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https://apex-insight.com/evri-admits-he ... er-killed/

UK delivery company Hermes, recently rebranded Evri, has admitted health and safety failings after one of its staff was crushed to death at its Lanarkshire depot in Scotland.

Forty-three year old David Kennedy had just started training on new equipment for moving trailers when the accident happened. He was rushed to hospital with serious chest injuries but later died.

Hermes Parcelnet Ltd admitted that breaches of health and safety legislation led to Kennedy’s death at the Eurocentral depot in March, 2019.

Kennedy had worked with Hermes for around 20 years and was known to be a competent and hard-working employee, according to the prosecution.

Hermes had introduced trailer movers at the depots and workers were being shown how to attach these to trailers and then to move them in and out of the loading bays. Kennedy was on the night shift and had only begun training on the trailer mover for half an hour when the accident occurred.

The prosecution said that he should have still been at the classroom assessment stage of the training. Prosecutor Mr Imran Bashir told the court: “Training on the trailer itself should not have taken place until the second hour.

“In addition, there was no appropriate supervision. The other two men with Mr Kennedy should have been acting as ‘banksmen’ and telling him if he was too close to a stationary trailer.

“CCTV shows the trainer was at times in a position where he was unable to see and correct any mistakes that were being made.”

Mr Bashir added: “Some operatives did not feel comfortable using the mover and felt training should have lasted longer.”

While admitting the offence to the court, Hermes has no previous convictions for health and safety offences and takes the matter extremely seriously. Its lawyers expressed its ‘deepest sympathy’ to the family.

The lawyer added: “In hindsight, the company accepts that this assurance should not have been accepted without some form of independent confirmation taking place.”

Sheriff Colin Dunipace said: “I appreciate the huge sense of loss that must be felt by family and friends. My deepest sympathy goes to all affected by this tragedy.”

Evri will be sentenced next month.