An inquest into the death of a young engineer revealed he was fatally crushed whilst working at a Blackburn company.
Connor Borthwick suffered serious injuries whilst working for Partwell Special Steels Limited at its site in Bruce Street, Blackburn.
Alongside a colleague, Connor was attempting to move a large beam press which had become unstable, using skates placed underneath it, when it fell onto him, the inquest at Lancashire Coroners' Court heard.
Speaking on behalf of his family, Connor's sister, Emily, said he was her "amazing, caring, loving, and funny little brother."
Emily, a Team GB high jumper, said: "Everyone loved Connor.
"He was a good soul, and this was evident from the more than 700 people who came to his funeral to pay their respects and share their personal accounts of how Connor had touched their lives.
“He was 22, life hadn’t begun for him, and it was over.
“Some simple steps should have been taken and weren’t. If they were, Connor would be with us today.
“It’s hard to explain to people what we have been through, are going through. We don’t want another family to go through what we have.”
The 22-year-old suffered sustained abdominal and pelvic injuries and subsequently died from his injuries.
Giving a narrative conclusion, Coroner Kate Bissett said: “Connor Borthwick died on November 25, 2021, in Bruce Street, Blackburn.
“Mr Borthwick attended this address as part of his employment as a maintenance engineer.
“Mr Borthwick and a colleague were attempting to move a large beam press machine within the premises.
"The machine was being placed onto skates when it tipped over on top of Mr Borthwick, causing abdominal and pelvic injuries which resulted in his death.
“The act of moving the machine had not been risk assessed prior to the attempt.”
While the incident occurred on November 25, 2021, the inquest only reached its conclusion on Monday, May 12, as it was postponed to accommodate criminal investigations and proceedings.
The investigation, by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found Partwell Special Steels Limited had not undertaken an assessment of the risks involved with moving the machine.
HSE also found the task had not been suitably planned, and no safe system of work had been provided to the employees.
Additionally, neither employee had been provided with suitable and sufficient training to ensure they had the necessary and relevant competence to undertake the task.
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A suitable and sufficient assessment of the suitability of the work equipment provided would have shown that the skates used were unsuitable for this work.
The company pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
It was fined £80,000 and was ordered to pay £6,713 in costs at a hearing at Preston Magistrates' Court on December 16, 2024.
HSE Inspector Anthony Banks said at the time of the prosecution: “This company’s failures resulted in the death of a much-loved young man.
“Those in control of work activities, including the movement of heavy machinery from one part of a site to another, need to assess the risks of that work and plan a safe way to undertake it.
“This tragic incident could have easily been avoided with the right controls in place.
“My thoughts remain with Connor’s family.”
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