A man has been crushed to death following a work accident at a Suffolk-based glass company.
Arken PoP Ltd, which has its headquarters in Newmarket, had employed the man, originally from Lithuania, to help in the construction of point of purchase displays for the retail sector.
The worker was manually unloading large glass sheets – which weighted more than 100kg each – from a delivery truck after the firm had problems mechanically unloading the vehicle.
One of the glass sheets fell on top of the man, crushing him to death, whilst his colleague, who tried to stop the glass from crushing the man, also suffered injuries to his hand.
Following the incident, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) carried out an investigation and found that it could have been avoided had the firm carried out a property risk assessment.
An Arken spokesperson said, “The company deeply regrets the accident and expresses their deepest sympathy to the man's family.”
The firm pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety regulations and was fined £80,000 along with £16,914 in costs at Peterborough Crown Court.
Arken also paid £10,000 in accident compensation to the worker's family.