A dad-of-two was crushed to death at a scrap metal plant where bosses were guilty of hundreds of safety breaches. Stuart Towns, 34, was manhandling large pieces of metal which were blocking a conveyor belt when they smashed on top of him causing horrific head injuries.
A safety gate which prevented workers from going into the area unless the machine was turned off, had been broken. Mr Towns, a forklift truck driver, had been working for Alutrade Ltd in Oldbury, West Mids., for three months when he was killed on July 24, 2017.
Mr Towns walked into an area underneath a hopper, which housed powerful engines used to feed a conveyor belt with scrap metal for processing. Minutes later, his body was discovered by distraught colleagues. He’d suffered catastrophic head injuries and died at the scene.
