Huws Gray Limited, a prominent builders merchant, has been fined £2.2 million after one of its workers, Paul Coulson, was tragically crushed to death by a three-tonne pallet on a conveyor. The fatal incident occurred on 22 May 2024 at Herringswell Sawmills in Bury St Edmonds, Suffolk, with the company receiving the substantial penalty at Chelmsford Magistrates Court on 26 March 2026.
Huws Gray Limited failed to prevent access to dangerous machinery.
Mr. Coulson, 56, a labourer, was performing his duties of removing plastic packaging from timber pallets when he climbed within the framework of the conveyor to access some of the wrapping. Unaware of Mr. Coulson’s presence, another operative started the conveyor, causing a three-tonne pack of timber to move forward and collide with him. The operative, observing the timber pack was not moving as expected, reversed the conveyor before changing its direction again, resulting in a second collision with Mr. Coulson. He sustained severe crush injuries and died at the scene.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that Huws Gray Limited, which supplies the building trade across Great Britain, had previously identified that employees were accessing the danger zone within the conveyor. While signage was placed asking employees not to do so, CCTV analysis from 14 April to 23 May 2024 showed operatives entering the conveyor’s framework on 19 separate occasions. Despite placing stickers on the conveyor to address the unsafe practice, no further effective preventative action was taken until after the tragedy.
Following Mr. Coulson’s death, the company implemented several critical safety measures. These included guarding the conveyor to prevent access, altering the system of work so that pallets were unwrapped before being placed on the conveyor, and installing additional CCTV cameras to provide comprehensive visibility for operators. These necessary changes were only introduced after the fatal incident.
The HSE emphasises that sawmilling remains a high-risk industry, despite improvements in health and safety standards in recent years. HSE guidance clearly outlines the risks associated with machinery and the necessity of preventing access to dangerous parts during normal operation. Accidents frequently occur when individuals enter machinery to make adjustments, clear blockages, or replenish consumables. Companies are urged to prevent access to reciprocating carriages and associated machinery through measures such as fixed-distance guarding, close guarding designed to meet specific reach distances, or a combination of suitable controls.
Huws Gray Limited, based in Llangefni, Anglesey, Wales, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. In addition to the £2.2 million fine, the company was ordered to pay full costs of £9,929. HSE inspector Joanne Williams commented on the case, stating that it was a “staggering failure that has cost a man his life and robbed a family of their loved one,” adding that “the scale of the fine handed down reflects the gravity of this case.”
This story was originally published by the Health and Safety Executive.
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