John Metcalfe was fined £450 and ordered to pay £1,000 costs after pleading guilty to breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court.

The court heard how Mr Metcalfe was reversing a tractor at speed when the accident happened in April 2007. The tractor was attached to a muck spreader and he was reversing through the farmyard with restricted visibility when he struck farm owner Edward Fox with the muck spreader. Mr Fox later died from his injuries.

Mr Metcalfe had been warned about driving vehicles at speed around the farm. At the time of the accident he had been playing music in the tractor cab and could not hear anything from the outside. He only stopped when he felt the impact.

HSE inspector Dr Samantha Farrar said: “This was a tragic case where the actions of one farm worker ultimately left his employer dead. Mr Metcalfe had already been warned about driving the tractor at speed around the farm, but sadly did not take this advice on board. I cannot stress enough the importance of watching out for other people and keeping speed down when driving tractors, especially when visibility is restricted.”

http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2010/coi-em-10metcalfe.htm

http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/news/Tractor-man-fined-killing-boss-accident/article-1848065-detail/article.html