A worker sustained traumatic head injuries when a tyre’s wheel rim was propelled into his body. Despite undergoing surgery, the 23-year-old subsequently died in hospital.
The farmhand was helping one of the partners of the farm to inflate a tractor tyre when the explosion occurred at a dairy farm in Lancashire on 7 May 2021. The farm partnership, which pleaded guilty, has been fined £80,000.
The farmhand was working as a farmhand at the Old Grange Farm near Preston where one of his duties was to repair punctures in tyres. According to the inquest into his death, he had flagged an issue with his supervisor regarding a large tractor tyre. When his boss used a compressor to inflate the tyre, it suddenly exploded and the catastrophic release of compressed air propelled the wheel rim into him, causing traumatic head injuries. The father of one was rushed to the Royal Preston Hospital where he underwent skull and brain surgeries. However, his condition deteriorated and the farmhand died on 11 June from his injuries.
The Lancashire Telegraph reported on the inquest into his death, which concluded on 23 January 2024. In its report, the newspaper said: ‘The tyre was ruled as unfit to repair, and he was also recorded as standing too close to the tyre when the incident happened.’
What failings were uncovered?
When the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated the incident, it found a series of failings.
To start with, the farm had failed to properly assess and plan the work activity. In addition, the farm partnership did not identify nor put in place the measures necessary to control the risks associated with inflating large commercial tyres. To compound matters, the tyre, wheel rim and inner tube had all been poorly maintained, which meant that the risk of explosion was greater.
Significantly, the farm should have undertaken a suitable and sufficient risk assessment before undertaking any work to determine whether the damaged tyre, inner tube and wheel rim were in a suitable condition to be inflated safely. However, they failed to do this.
The farm pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 2(1) of the Health and Safety At Work Act. The farm partnership was fined £80,000 and ordered to pay £8,605 in costs at a hearing at Preston Magistrates Court on 4 February 2025.
Speaking afterwards, HSE inspector Anthony Banks said: ‘This was a tragic incident, and a much-loved young man has lost his life. It could have easily been avoided with the right controls in place.
SOURCE – IOSH
