A Bootle waste disposal firm admitted safety failings after a worker was crushed to death inside industrial machinery.Polish national Zbigniew Galka, 39, was killed after climbing into a compactor machine at Gaskells Waste Services.
Trading company Gaskells North West Ltd today accepted one charge of failing to ensure the safety of its employees.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that the company, based in Foster Street, was charged following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive into the December 2010 tragedy.
Mr Galka, who had been living in Anfield, climbed into a BOA Compactor machine at the site to fix a fault.
The machine is used to prepare waste for recycling and uses hydraulic panels to compact the material.
The court heard the machine was activated while Mr Galka was inside, crushing him to death.
Andrew Long, prosecuting, said it was unclear how the machine came to be activated.
A Home Office post mortem found Mr Galka had suffered haemorrhaging, shock and severe traumatic injury to both legs.
Owner of the company, Jonathan Gaskell, 44, of Peckforton Hall Lane, Tarporley, has pleaded not guilty to breaches of health and safety legislation.
Jonathan Gaskell, MD of Gaskells Waste Management
A manager at the firm, Paul Jukes, 44, of Church Road, Chester, and another employee, Michael Cunliffe, 43, of Blackbrook Road, St Helens, also deny breaching safety laws.
The three men are due to stand trial on February 8 at Liverpool Crown Court.
Gaskells’ company brochure states: “We’re proud to be one of the largest independent and privately owned waste management and recycling companies in the North West of England.
“With two decades of experience, we understand that every one of our customers is different, which is why we offer specialised and hassle-free solutions.”
The brochure says the facility is open 24/7, handling more than 25,000 vehicle movements and processing more than 70,000 tonnes of waste material each year.
Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/