Firm fined over hay bale death

A renewable energy firm has been fined £130,000 after a driver was killed by a 700kg bale of straw.

Gary Darnell, 53, from Ely in Cambridgeshire suffered fatal injuries when the bale fell on him at the Elean Power Station, Sutton in September 2008.

The power station, run by EPR Ely Ltd, produces electricity by burning straw.

EPR Ely Ltd was fined and ordered to pay costs of £30,735 at Cambridge Magistrates' Court.

The court heard how the 53-year-old received fatal injuries from mechanical asphyxiation when, during an unloading operation using an overhead gantry crane, the bale of straw fell from a lorry and on to him.

The investigation and prosecution by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found a number of failings regarding the movement of straw bales around the loading and storage area.

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