An incident on a dairy farm that saw a tractor tyre explosion kill a young father has resulted in a £80,000 fine for the Lancashire farm partnership responsible.
Joshua Hardman (23) worked as a farmhand for W Hesketh and Sons at their dairy farm in Hutton, near Preston. On 7 May 2021, Joshua was helping Bill Hesketh (a partner in the business) to re-seat and inflate a large tractor tyre.
As Mr Hesketh inflated the inner tube within the tyre, it exploded. This sudden release of compressed air propelled the tyre’s wheel rim into Joshua’s head, inflicting traumatic head injuries.
Joshua was taken to hospital for skull and brain surgeries, but he passed away on 11 June after further deterioration in his condition.
A father of one from Longridge, Joshua was hailed as an ‘amazing dad’ by his family in a statement:
“Joshua was a very loving, caring, kind and gentle person. He had a heart of gold.
“He was also an amazing dad, and it is heart-breaking that he will never reach his full potential in that role.
“His five-year-old daughter will miss out on a great deal of love and affection and the role he would have played in her life.”
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The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated the incident, and found that W Hesketh and Sons had failed to properly assess and plan this work activity. They also failed to identify and put in place the measures necessary to control the risks involved when inflating large commercial tyres.
The tractor’s tyre, wheel rim and inner tube were all found to be in a poorly maintained condition. This meant the risk of an explosion was much higher.
Evidence showed that a suitable and sufficient assessment had not been made to determine whether the damaged tyre, inner tube and wheel rim were suitable to be inflated safely.
HSE recommend that tyre removal, replacement and inflation should only be tackled by competent staff.
W Hesketh and Sons, of Grange Lane, Hutton, Preston, pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 2(1) of the Health and Safety At Work Act 1974. They were fined £80,000 and ordered to pay £8,605 costs at a hearing at Preston Magistrates Court on 4 February 2025.
HSE inspector Anthony Banks commented after the hearing:
“This was a tragic incident, and a much-loved young man has lost his life. It could have easily been avoided with the right controls in place.
“HSE would like to make all employers aware that, before they undertake the inflation of large commercial tyres, they need to have correctly assessed the risk and have in place the suitable controls for the task.”
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