Ginsters Parent Company Fined £1.28 Million Following Employee Fatality

The parent company of pasty producer Ginsters has been fined £1.28 million after an employee was killed by a lorry delivering supplies. Paul Clarke, 40, died in hospital on December 2, 2021, after being fatally crushed by the lorry as it reversed into a loading bay at the Ginsters’ plant in Callington, Cornwall. Plymouth Magistrates’ Court heard that Mr. Clarke, a new employee, had been moving strip curtains in the loading bay just before he was struck by the vehicle. Samworth Brothers, based in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, admitted that it had not provided Mr. Clarke with training on how to operate the curtains, thereby breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act. In addition to the fine, the company was ordered to pay £24,106 in costs at the court on November 7. Magistrates were informed that a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found Samworth Brothers had failed to assess the risks associated with the temporarily installed strip curtains. There was no safe system of work for moving these curtains out of the way when lorries backed into the loading bay, and staff had not been given training or instructions on how to move them. Instead, employees had developed their own methods, which included standing in the yard behind reversing vehicles. “Our lives will never be the same without Paul,” his mother Bernice said in a statement. She added, “We don’t celebrate Christmas as the date is too close and it is just not the same.” HSE inspector Aimie Baker commented that Bernice’s words “make clear the impact the passing of Paul has had and our thoughts remain with her and her family”. Workplace accidents involving pedestrians, such as Mr. Clarke, are a significant cause of fatal injuries in the workplace, with 25 such fatalities recorded in 2023/24. Employers should plan their workplaces to minimize contact between pedestrians and vehicles, she advised. Samworth Brothers stated after the case that the firm was “deeply shocked and saddened” by Mr. Clarke’s death. “The Cornwall Bakery is a strong community of friends and colleagues,” the statement read. It continued, “Paul was such a positive influence on everyone that knew him and a much-loved and respected member of our team.” The firm also stated that health and safety is its “highest priority” and that the incident led to an “extensive internal review”. “Several changes were implemented immediately in order to further improve upon our health and safety systems and processes,” the firm confirmed.