Firms fined after death at bakery

Graham Meldrum had received inadequate training

Two firms have been fined a total of £33,500 after a lorry driver was crushed to death at a bread factory.

Graham Meldrum, 40, died after being hit by a faulty tail-lift on his truck at the former Allied Bakery plant in Maryhill, Glasgow.

At Glasgow Sheriff Court ABF Grain Products Ltd, formerly Allied, admitted three health and safety breaches.

TNT Logistics, which supplied Mr Meldrum as a driver through an agency, admitted a single breach.

ABF Grain Products Ltd was fined £19,500 and TNT Logistics fined £14,000 after the court heard that Mr Meldrum died due to a lack of adequate training and a failure to maintain vehicles.

The court heard how the chemistry graduate, described as "popular and bright" by colleagues, died on 12 July 2005

Sheriff Norman Ritchie QC said no sum could compensate for the loss of life, but added that he had been "restricted" by parliament to the level of fine he could impose.

The father-of-four had been working at the bread factory in the city's Balmore Industrial Estate.

Had he been trained then he could have recognised the faults Issma Sultan Prosecuting

The court heard how ABF staff had raised concerns about trailers and associated devices as early as 1997.

Another driver later reported a problem with a lorry - the same one that Mr Meldrum drove 24 hours later on the day of his death.

That evening, Mr Meldrum was seen on CCTV at the factory exiting his vehicle.

It is thought he may have been about to begin unloading bread baskets.

An hour later, a worker at the plant found Mr Meldrum slumped against the lorry with a pool of blood at his feet.

The victim's head was trapped between the lorry and the attached tail-lift platform.

Mr Meldrum's pulse and breathing was checked, but he was found to be already dead.

Head trapped

Issma Sultan, prosecuting, said the death had been caused by the faulty platform "violently striking" the dad.

The court heard that Mr Meldrum had received only 90 minutes training from TNT - but in a truck that had different mechanisms from the one he drove on the day of his death.

Miss Sultan added: "Had he been trained then he could have recognised the faults."

Lawyers for both firms apologised for the accident.

The court was told that ABF no longer used the type of tail-lift platform involved in the accident and that TNT had doubled its training for drivers.

Mr Meldrum's wife Karen Thomson stormed out of the courtroom as the fines were announced branding the firms "murderers".