£50,000 fine for bus company after worker killed at depot

A bus company and cleaning firm received a fine after an employee was killed by a bus.

Albin Trstena, an employee of Cordant Cleaning Limited, was working onsite at the Arriva bus depot in Hemel Hempstead in 2019 when the incident occurred.

25-years-old Albin was struck by a bus reversing out of the wash-down area. The injuries he sustained were fatal.

It is a legal requirement that people placed in a location where vehicles operate must be kept safe. Health and Safety Executive sets out steps those responsible should take to ensure that people and vehicles are safely separated.

Albin’s sister Albina read a statement at St Albans Magistrates’ Court, stating the devastation his death had caused to their family.

“When we received the news Albin had died, we were left devastated and our whole world came crashing down around us. His presence at home was so alive.”

“Albin would always do lots for the family, but not just for the family, he gave of himself and would always help other people where he could.

“He was a brother and son to be proud of.”

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that Arriva failed to properly assess the likelihood of a collision between pedestrians and vehicles, meaning that both Arriva and Cordant Cleaning Limited (subsequently known as C.L.C Realisations Limited), hadn’t implemented a suitable solution to prevent such a tragedy occurring.

Insufficient measures were in place to protect pedestrians from moving vehicles around the depot and it was not ensuring that perimeter walkways were being fully utilised.

C.L.C Realisations Limited (in administration) offered no plea but was found guilty of breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and fined a nominal £1,000.

Arriva Kent Thameside Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and was fined £32,000 and ordered to pay costs of £22,392.

Roxanne Barker, HSE inspector, said:

“This tragic incident led to the avoidable death of a much loved young man.

“There was a failure to undertake safety measures to segregate vehicles and pedestrians.

“They also failed to properly consider who was responsible for determining and implementing suitable measures to ensure safe working practices when contracting out some of the activities performed within a shared workplace.”