Excavator operator charged with manslaughter

An excavator operator has been charged with manslaughter after a bucket fell from a quick hitch, killing a site worker.

Michael Ernest Roys from Doncaster has been charged with unlawfully killing Alwyne Parkinson who was struck by a bucket that fell from the semi-automatic quick hitch on the excavator he was operating.

The accident happened at the Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire on 28 September 2007 and Parkinson died from his injuries on 1 October.

Roys will enter a plea on 25 April and the trial is set to begin on 14 July. There were four similar fatalities last year involving semi-automatic quick hitches and the Health and Safety Executive issued a safety alert about their use last December.

It is expected that when the new Machinery Directive comes into force it will prohibit the use of semi-automatic quick hitches on new machines but not on the existing fleet.

Click here to view a short video about the correct use of semi-automatic quick hitches.