Firm fined over strimmer death

A FIRM has been fined £15,000 over the death of a father-of-four who was struck by a piece of metal that flew off a petrol strimmer at high speed.

Tony Robinson, 37, from Ulverston, Cumbria, died after a link from the chain, spinning at around 300 miles per hour, came off and struck him on the back of the neck.

The self-employed contractor had been hired to clear undergrowth at a site under construction at Ramsden Dock in Barrow-in-Furness in February 2010.

ThreeShires Ltd – based in Lincolnshire – pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act.