A TRANSPORT firm has been fined £30,000 over the “tragic and wholly avoidable” death of a Farnworth man.

Daniel Adams was crushed by a reversing truck at the Sandywood Industrial Estate, in Swinton, in May 2014 and died two days later due to internal injuries.

The self-employed haulage contractor, aged 63, rented a unit on the industrial estate owned by Alec Sharples Farm Supplies and Transport Limited, where the fatal incident occurred.

Manchester Crown Court heard last week how the father-of-three had been working on one of his own lorries when a HGV owned by Alec Sharples reversed into Mr Adams' section of the yard.

The HGV driver spoke with Mr Adams, but when the conversation was over the HGV driver reversed his truck, inadvertently crushing Mr Adams between the two vehicles.

After his death, Mr Adams's family described him as “unique” and a “one-off”.

Dozens of people attended his funeral at St Columbus RC Church in Tonge Moor, and his coffin was carried through the town centre on the back of one of his trucks.

The incident was investigated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which prosecuted Alec Sharples Farm Supplies and Transport Limited for serious safety failings in the organisation and operation of the site.

The HSE investigation found the firm had failed to implement a safe system of work for reversing HGV’s and training drivers. There was no segregation of pedestrians and HGV’s or any banksmen provided.

Alec Sharples Farm Supplies and Transport Ltd of Roscow Road, Kearsley, pleaded guilty to a breach of Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £30,000 and ordered to pay costs of £14,000.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Ian Betley said: “This was a tragic and wholly avoidable incident, caused by the failure of the host company to implement safe systems of work, and failure to ensure that health and safety documentation was communicated and followed.

“This risk was further amplified by the company’s failure to undertake a number of simple safety measures including segregating vehicles and pedestrians, ensuring that vehicles were fitted with reversing ‘bleepers’, and ensuring that reversing manoeuvres were supervised, in accordance with their site rules.”