Company fined £233,000 after tragic death of teenager at ‘first real job’

A mother has spoken out after her only child was killed after working at a poultry farm for just two weeks.

Nineteen-year-old Ben Spencer had been working for Sunrise Poultry Farms n Loughborough when he was crushed between a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) and a wall on April 12 2021.

The HGV was attempting a complex manoeuvre towards a narrow thoroughfare at the Seagrave Road premises as Ben Spencer was walking towards it.

Ben’s mum Tracy has now spoken of the grief she has gone through as a result of his death. She said:

“My life revolved around Ben, because it has always been just me and him. Now I’ve got no life.  Sometimes I walk the dog at eleven o’clock at night to avoid running into people, I just can’t face getting into a conversation with them.”

“I find myself keeping my distance from everyone, I just can’t cope with the idea of feeling close to someone, even my family.”

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that measures in place for segregating pedestrians and moving vehicles were wholly inadequate.

Sunrise Poultry Farms, of Seagrave Road, Sileby, Loughborough, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 17 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 and was ordered to pay a fine of £233,000 plus costs of £8,841 at a hearing at Leicester Magistrates’ Court on 22 November 2023.

Ben’s death continues to have a significant impact on the lives of Tracy, as well as his friends and family.

“I still can’t go in Ben’s bedroom,” Tracy said.

“It’s still the same as the last day he went to work. I can’t bring myself to make the bed and have tied the door shut so the dog can’t go in there.  I have tried to make myself go in there, but I just can’t walk across the threshold.

“Sunrise Poultry was Ben’s first real job and with it came a conversation about the future, his own home, learning to drive and saving. If I could just curl up in a ball I would.”

HSE inspector Alex Nayar said:

“Our thoughts today are with Ben’s family and friends. He was at the start of his working life. He should have returned home safely to them at the end of his working day, but because of the failings of Sunrise Poultry Farms Limited, he did not.

“Ben’s death could have easily been prevented if they had adequately assessed and controlled the risks associated with workplace transport, a leading cause of death in the workplace.”

Employers have a liability to ensure their workers are safe under The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The regulations set out a number of rules including providing a safe working environment that is properly maintained, where operations within it are conducted safely and adequate welfare provisions for staff at work.

It is a criminal offence to fail to comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act. A breach of provisions of regulations can be punishable by fine, imprisonment or both.

Further reading

Accidents at work – Oakwood Solicitors

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