Workplace tragedy | Manager blamed for 'systemic failures' as waste worker crushed to death

An employee at a waste company was crushed after falling into an industrial shredder while attempting to clear out a blockage in the machine.

The worker, David Willis, who was employed at Timmins Waste Services (TWS) in Wolverhampton, fell into the machine which was designed to shred wood and commercial waste in September 2018.

TWS and Willis’ manager Brian Timmins, who was operating the machine at the time of the accident, are on trial at Wolverhampton Crown court, and are being accused of “systemic failures” that ultimately led to the death of an employee.

The court heard that the incident occurred when the machine “stopped abruptly”. As a result, Timmins began to investigate the machine with Willis, using a digger to lift him up on top of the shredder.