A Lincolnshire vegetable farmer has been prosecuted for safety failings after a mother of two was killed when she was run over by a reversing tractor trailer.
Mrs Juodiene was one of 10 agency workers preparing to start work planting Brussels sprouts seedlings.
Lincoln Crown Court heard today (21 July) that Mrs Juodiene’s foot was caught under a rear wheel after a worker reversed the tractor and trailer full of module plants towards a planting machine so it could be loaded. Her foot was caught under the wheel at the back of the reversing trailer and she was pulled underneath its wheels.
Her colleagues were unable to pull her free and she died at the scene from head and chest injuries, leaving a husband, Vaidas and two daughters, Samanta and Agne.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the company had failed to carry out a written risk assessment or devise a safe procedure for reversing a vehicle when rear vision was restricted.
HSE found there was a lack of relevant information, instruction and training provided to the workers in the risks from moving vehicle in the fields. In addition, there was a lack of communication between the driver and the other workers in the field, and there was no safe procedure to follow for either drivers or workers during a reversing vehicle manoeuvre.
Since the incident, the vegetable company no longer carries out the reversing manoeuvre.
The company pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £100,000 and ordered to pay £18,477 in costs.
Mrs Juodiene’s daughter, Samanta Augulyte, said:
“It is nearly two years without our mother in our lives but a day does not pass without us thinking of her. The most difficult thing is to explain to my five-year-old son why his grandmother is not able to call or visit any more.
“Having lost her, a big wound has opened in our hearts which will not heal for a long time to come. All of us have to leave this world one day but definitely not in the circumstances my mum did.
“The loss of our mum was a great shock for our dad and it badly affected my sister as she was unable to finish her studies. Our lives have changed massively. I miss my mum’s laughter, her good mood, those brown eyes full of kindness and love and her warm hugs. But I believe she can see and hear me and she knows she will always stay in my heart.”
Nearly a quarter of all deaths involving vehicles at work occur during reversing. Most of these accidents can be avoided by taking simple precautions. Further information is available at http://www.hse.gov.uk/workplacetransport/information/reversing.htm