Man dies after falling into baler at Cornwall recycling plant
A man has died in an incident at a waste recycling plant in Redruth, Cornwall.
Dale McClelland, 23, got trapped in an industrial baling machine at the plant owned by H&A Recycling at Redruth’s Cardrew Industrial Estate last Thursday (16 November) and died from his injuries at the scene.
The police were called to the scene on Thursday afternoon at around 4pm, arriving shortly after to cordon off the area.
H&A Recycling released a statement saying: “We are of course devastated that this accident has occurred at our recycling centre.
“Our sincere condolences go to Dale’s family, friends and co-workers and we will offer our support to the immediate family for an unspecified period of time.”
It remains unclear how McClelland came to fall into the baling machine, but the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is now investigating the incident, while the police say that the death will not be treated as suspicious, but as an industrial accident.
A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed the cooperation of both H&A and the HSE, telling local Cornish paper The Herald that: "H&A are collaborating fully with the investigation. The death of this man is being investigated as an industrial accident.
"Enquiries are underway to establish the circumstances surrounding this incident and the Health and Safety Executive has been informed of this matter.”
The latest incident is indicative of the dangers of working in the waste and recycling industry, with latest HSE figures revealing that 14 fatal injuries occurred in 2016/17, while an average of 5,000 workers in the industry have sustained work-related injuries while a further 6,000 contract work-related illnesses.
Moves have been made to rectify this, however, with the HSE publishing its sector plan for increasing health and safety in the waste and recycling industry, identifying reducing fatal injuries from moving vehicles and incidence of musculoskeletal disorders and lung disease among employees as priorities.
