Lincolnshire recycling plant death: Safety gate not in place Published duration 2 July 2015

image copyright Google image caption Karlis Pavasars died at Mid UK Recycling in Barkston Heath, Lincolnshire, in 2013

A safety gate was not in place when a man died in an industrial shredder at a recycling plant, an inquest has heard.

Karlis Pavasars, 55, had to be identified by DNA from his toothbrush after he died at Mid UK Recycling in Lincolnshire in 2013.

His widow told the hearing in Lincoln he was experienced enough to know not to climb on the conveyor belt leading to the shredder.

A witness said he saw the gate was off its hinges after the incident.

Father-of-two Mr Pavasars, of Peterborough, was working at the company in Barkston Heath, near Grantham, which shreds household waste into pellet-sized fuel for power stations.

Jurors at the inquest at the Cathedral Centre were told a boot was jammed in the conveyor belt and a hard hat was found on the floor.

Body fragments, found alongside parts of a hi-vis jacket inside the shredder, were matched with DNA from Mr Pavasars's toothbrush.

'Dangerous'

Workshop engineer Daniel Shirley said a safety gate was out of commission.

"I did see that the gate was not in place and that it was not on its hinges but leant up against the side of the metal bay," he said.

Mr Pavasars' wife Marite said she did not know how he ended up on the conveyor belt leading to the shredder

"He was experienced enough in the recycling industry to know it was a very dangerous thing to do," she said in a statement.

The Health and Safety Executive launched an investigation after the death, which police said they were not treating as suspicious.

The inquest continues.

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