Skip to main content
Legal news

Health and safety failings end in tragedy

Jonathan Winston Jonathan Winston
2 min read

A plastics manufacturer in Rochdale has been fined £140,000 after a man was crushed to death when in an accident at work when a wooden pallet containing over 50 bags of polypropylene fell onto him.

TS (UK) Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 after the workplace accident in July 2005. It occurred when Abel Lages, from Portugal, who worked at the plant as a cleaner, died from his injuries when the pallet, weighing almost one and a half tonnes, fell on top of him. The HSE prosecuted the firm after the incident, saying that they had failed to ensure the safety of its employees and that they did not have a worker trained in First Aid on duty.

John McGrellis, an HSE principal inspector for Greater Manchester said: “Mr Lages died because TS (UK) Ltd didn’t treat the health and safety of its workers as a priority. There were labels on the polypropylene bags that made it clear how they should be stored safely but this advice was ignored.”

More Winston Solicitors news

Client feedback

Really pleased with the service from Olivia Cooke and the team as a first time buyer - process was really efficient and clear from start to finish. Thanks all!
Jennifer
We used Winston's to arrange our Power of Attorney and our solicitor, Emily Spencer, was very professional and efficient, and a pleasure to work with.
John
Excellent service throughout! Highly recommend.
Sophie
Can’t thank Harriet and Hannah from the Family Law department enough for their help and support while navigating a difficult year. Their professionalism was second to none - I would recommend Winton Solicitors to any and all seeking legal advice.
Sally
We can highly recommend the services provided. Our solicitor was extremely thorough and professional and we were always assured that matters were being dealt with in timely manner. Winston Solicitors conveyancing services were recommended to us and we were very satisfied. If we need any further legal assistance in the future we will not hesitate to use them again.
Julia
I do not think that the service we received could be improved. We were treated like friends rather than clients - December 2025
David B, Leeds
Can’t thank Stacey enough, she was very professional and very helpful. - December 2025
Anonymous, Portsmouth
Sam and Paulo were just wonderful. Communications were clear and timely and they were always very professional. A pleasure to deal with, thank you! - December 2025
Sally A, Knaresborough
Contact us