Food Process Engineering Ltd fined £50,000 after worker killed in scissor lift fall
Published on 07/09/2026 at 05:59 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
A Renfrewshire engineering firm has been ordered to pay more than £53,000 after a 32-year-old worker suffered fatal injuries when he was thrown from a scissor lift during a warehouse dismantling project.
Food Process Engineering Ltd was fined £50,000 and ordered to pay a £3,750 victim surcharge at Paisley Sheriff Court on July 6, 2026, following a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation into the death of Steven Tervit.
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Fatal collapse during cleanroom removal
The incident occurred on November 9, 2022, at the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) warehouse in Renfrew. Tervit was working approximately four metres (13 feet) above the ground in a scissor lift while dismantling a cleanroom structure.
Wall panels collapsed during the work, ejecting Tervit onto the concrete floor. He sustained a traumatic brain injury, lung contusions and multiple fractures, and died from his injuries the following day.
Risk assessment and safety failures
The HSE investigation found that Food Process Engineering Ltd had failed to provide an adequate risk assessment for the dismantling work. Investigators established that removing the structure's roof had left the remaining wall panels unstable and without lateral support.
The company also failed to implement necessary safety measures, including the use of A-frame props to stabilise the panels. While the project's method statement required these props, they were not used on-site.
Failures like these can lead to prosecution under the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974. To help you stay compliant, a free toolkit covers the Act's key requirements with risk assessments, checklists and a director liability guide. Get the free Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 Toolkit
Wider context of industrial fall penalties
The sentencing follows other recent enforcement actions involving falls from height. In June 2026, the Guelph Provincial Offences Court in Canada fined Ralston Metal Products $175,000 after a truck driver died falling from an order picker platform in October 2024. An employee involved in that incident also received a $20,000 fine.
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