One man has died and another was seriously injured following an incident at a recycling facility in Newton Aycliffe, Country Durham on Saturday (12 December).
Emergency services were called to the Aycliffe Quarry plant, run by Wades Ltd (also known as John Wade Group Ltd) at 12.04pm, and the first ambulance was on the scene at 12.14pm.
Reports in the local press suggest that the accident involved a trommel, a large drum used to separate waste. The victim, named by police as Simon Hogg, 47, from Darlington, died on the scene after becoming trapped in the machine. A 46-year-old man, also from Darlington, was taken to James Cook Hospital with serious leg injuries. His condition is described as stable. Both men are believed to be employees of the recycling facility.
Police and the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) are investigating the incident.
A spokeswoman for Durham Constabulary commented: “Durham Constabulary and the HSE are working together to determine the circumstance of Mr Hogg’s death. The investigation is continuing with many officers from both agencies still at the scene.”
Wades Ltd
The company, run by local businessman John Wade, offers demolition and skip hire services, as well as running the waste recycling and recovery facilities at Aycliffe Quarry.
The site includes a mechanical and biological treatment (MBT) plant for the pre-treatment of residual waste. At the plant, waste is heat-treated before being subjected to a series of trommel and inclined screens, air blowers, magnetic separation and eddy current separation.
The plant works in partnership with Darlington Council’s ‘Bag it, Box it, Bin it’ scheme to recover recyclable waste and produce solid recovered fuel from residual waste.
Health and safety in the waste industry
The waste and recycling industry has been branded as one of the most dangerous to work in, and figures released by HSE in July revealed that 11 people, including six members of the public were fatally injured in the waste and resources sector in 2014/15.
This number constitutes a 120 per cent increase on the number of deaths reported in 2013/14, and the rise has largely been due to an increase in the number of members of the public being fatally injured at waste sites or by waste machinery.
In 2013, the body published the ‘Waste Industry Safety and Health (WISH) blueprint 2012-15’ to outline ‘immediate action points’ that employers can take to provide clearer training and safer workplaces.
It has also released guidance on how companies with sites accessed by both pedestrians and vehicles can ensure they are kept safe for people using the area.
Read HSE’s ‘Statistics on fatal injuries in the workplace in Great Britain 2015’.
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