UK: Renown Consultants Ltd has been fined £450 000 with £300 000 in costs after being convicted under the Health & Safety at Work Act for failing to ensure that two of its workers were sufficiently rested to work and travel safely.
The track workers employed on zero-hours contracts died in a road accident in June 2013 while travelling to Doncaster in a company van after a night shift in Stevenage.
‘We welcome the sentence which is the first time that ORR has prosecuted in relation to failures of fatigue management’, said Ian Prosser, HM Chief Inspector of Railways, on May 13. ‘It shows the seriousness with which the court has taken this tragic case, and shows the fatal consequences that can occur when fatigue policies are disregarded.’
ORR’s prior investigation found failures to manage fatigue amongst the workforce.
‘We hope this has acted as a reminder to companies that safety comes first and fatigue policies should be enforced to ensure their workforce is not too tired to work’, Prosser said.
