Council pays £165,000 after 11-year-old killed

Prosecutions and Claims |
14.02.2008

Coventry City Council has been fined £125,000 after an 11-year-old girl was run over and killed by a reversing bin lorry.

Coventry Crown Court heard that only four months before the fatal accident a 15-year-old girl had escaped without serious injury after being knocked over in similar circumstances, but the council failed to review its risk assessments as a result.

Amy Robinson was hit and killed by an unguided reversing collection vehicle in April 2006 while on her way to school. The accident happened just before 8am as the lorry reversed into a cul-de-sac in the Stoke area of Coventry.

HSE inspector Paul Smith told HSW the driver had seen Amy in his mirror as he started to reverse. He continued to reverse and she disappeared from his view. He only realised she had been hit when he saw her body on the ground.

There were two other people working in the crew that day but they had already started work in the cul-de-sac and so were not there as the driver reversed the vehicle, explained Smith.

The council did have a risk assessment but it wasn't suitable and sufficient, and the safe system of work was "very woolly", he said. There was the option for drivers to request assistance when reversing but this wasn't a requirement and crews had not been properly trained.

Smith said the council should have avoided reversing where possible and ensured crews were trained in safe working procedures and properly supervised.

Coventry City Council pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act for failing to take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of non-employees.

On 11 February the council was fined £125,000 with £40,000 costs.

Following the accident, Coventry Council reviewed its risk assessment and introduced "a host" of measures, said Smith. It implemented a new safe system of work and installed presence-detecting radars in its collection vehicles.

Click here for guidance on safe street collection;from the HSE and the Waste Industry Safety and Health Forum.

More guidance on safety in the waste and recycling industry is available  by clicking here.