Farmer fined £145k following
worker AD plant death
A FARMER and his two
businesses have been hit with
fines and costs of £145,000
for serious safety failings after
a 29 year-old worker died
following exposure to toxic
gases at an anaerobic digestion
(AD) plant.
Dorchester Crown Court
heard how Matthew Pitt and
David Bartlett were working
at Lowbrook Farm, owned by
Clifford Owen Yeatman, in
Belchalwell, Dorset, when they
were exposed to toxic gases
during maintenance of the
farm’s AD plant.
The plant was developed by
Biogas Nord UK, of which Mr
Yeatman was sole director.
On 24 June 2009, Mr Pitt
and Mr Bartlett were tasked
with opening the roof of the
digester tank to free a stirring
mechanism which had stopped
moving due to a crust forming
in the tank. As they did so,
they were engulfed by toxic
hydrogen sulphide gas.
Both men lost consciousness
and when Mr Bartlett came
round he found Mr Pitt lying
next to him but could not
get a response. Mr Pitt never
regained consciousness.
An investigation by the Health
and Safety Executive (HSE)
found a number of unsafe
practices and failings during
both the construction and
operation phases of the AD
plantOfficers also identified
a previous similar incident,
where farm worker Joerg
Grondke fell unconscious after
he was exposed to toxic gas
when he was replacing the
clamps that held the roof seal
in place in 2008.
While masks were supplied
after the 2008 incident workers
were never trained in their use
and they were taken off once
the roof was removed in the
mistaken belief that the danger
had passed, the court heard.
The masks were also not facefitted or properly maintained.
Clifford Owen Yeatman, of
Lowbrook Farm, Blandford
Forum, Dorset, was fined
£15,000 as a director of Biogas
Nord UK (Ltd) after pleading
guilty to two breaches of the
Health and Safety at Work etc
Act 1974. He also pleaded
guilty to two further breaches
of the act as a partner of CO
and RA Yeatman and was fined
£45,000.
His company, Farmergy Ltd,
also of Lowbrook Farm, was
fined £10,000 after pleading
guilty to breaching section
42 of the Health and Safety
at Work Act 1974. Both Mr
Yeatman and his company
Farmergy Ltd were ordered to
share £75,000 in costs.
Speaking after the hearing,
HSE inspector Annette Walker
said:“The previous incident
involving Mr Grondke should
have served as a warning about
the risk of toxic substances
when opening the roof. If that
risk had been identified and
safe systems of work put in
place to prevent exposure to
workers, the tragic death of
Matthew Pitt would have been
avoided.
“What has happened at
that farm demonstrates the
importance of having safe
systems of work in place,
particularly for maintenance
and repair work where the
risk of exposure is likely to be
highest. The need for specialist
skills and training also has to
be recognised.”