Mum's heartbreak as lift engineer, 24, crushed to death at Müller factory

28 November 2023 , 06:32

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Lewis McFarlin with his mum Leah Salt (Image: BPM MEDIA)

A lift maintenance firm has been fined after an employee was crushed to death while working at a Müller Yogurt factory - with the heartbroken victim's mum saying: "No one should go to work and not return."

Lift Monitoring Systems Limited in Staffordshire was fined £200,000 yesterday following a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation into the death of Lewis McFarlin. The 24-year-old was a lift engineer employed by the company, previously known as RJ Lift Services Limited, and was fatally crushed when attempting to repair a goods lift at Müller's Market Drayton factory on January 14, 2020. Müller Yogurt has not been prosecuted by HSE.

Mr McFarlin and two other lift engineers were working on a different lift before being asked to resolve an issue with the door-opening mechanism on one of the lift landing doors, HSE said. While attempting to resolve the fault, Mr McFarlin was on top of the lift car. The lift had been placed in 'inspection mode' enabling Mr McFarlin to control the lift from its rooftop. This mode enabled him to assist his colleague, inside the lift, to rectify the issue.

Lewis was killed while repairing at lift at a Müller Yogurt factory (Stoke Sentinel/BPM MEDIA)

But as work progressed, the lift unexpectedly shifted from inspection mode to normal mode while Mr McFarlin was still on top. A HSE probe found that this sudden transition caused the lift to move at normal speed and trapped him in a void between the lift car and the structural elements of the lift shaft.

Mr McFarlin’s colleagues tried to release him but were sadly unable to. He had already lost his life by the time the emergency services arrived at the scene. HSE investigators said there was a failure to cover the void in which Lewis became trapped. Had the void been sheeted, his death would not have happened.

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Mr McFarlin’s mum, Leah Salt, said: “Hearing all the evidence has been extremely difficult. Hearing how Lewis’ death was easily and reasonably preventable, is heartbreaking. No one should go to work and not return. As a family, losing our lovely Lewis and his future, has had a massive impact on all of our lives. Nothing can bring my son home, however, if future lives and families can be protected as a result of this outcome, then Lewis’ death hasn’t been in vain."

Lewis had died before the emergency services arrived (BPM MEDIA)

Lift Monitoring Systems Limited, of Galveston Grove, Oldfield Business Park, Stoke-On-Trent, Staffordshire, pleaded guilty to failing to discharge the duty imposed upon it by Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was fined £200,000 at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court. Costs will be decided at a later date.

HSE inspector Andrew Johnson said: “This tragic and entirely preventable incident led to the loss of a much loved son. The risks associated with working on lifts and the necessary safety measures were well-known to the company. Sadly, in this case, the employer failed to meet its responsibilities to put in place simple and well established reasonably practicable measures such as covering the void in which Lewis became trapped in. Had the company fulfilled its duties, this tragic incident simply would not have happened.”

Harry Leach