PHW

Home / Real cases / Huws Gray Limited

PHW · Warehousing · 2026-03-26

Huws Gray Limited fined £2,200,000 after a worker was fatally crushed by a restarted conveyor

Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk · Chelmsford Magistrates' Court

What happened

A worker climbed inside a conveyor framework to remove plastic packaging from timber pallets. A colleague, unaware of his presence, started the conveyor and crushed him with a three tonne pallet, then reversed and restarted it, causing a second collision. CCTV evidence showed 19 instances of workers entering the danger zone in the weeks before the incident.

Injuries: Fatal; he died at the scene.

The breach

Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

The sentence

  • Fine: £2,200,000
  • Costs: £9,929
HSE inspector

“This was a staggering failure that has cost a man his life.”

What would have prevented it

Repeated sightings of workers entering a machinery danger zone must trigger enforcement of a lockout procedure, not be tolerated as normal practice.

How PHW helps

The machines, packs and quizzes that fit this kind of site.

Sector

Training and evidence for warehouses and distribution

View →
Quiz

Could a visitor at goods-in check an operator's training record in under a minute?

View →

Source: HSE press release, Major builders' merchant fined £2.2 million after worker killed in conveyor crush