Grounds maintenance business fined after ride-on mower death

MHS Countryside Management Limited, based in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, was fined £27,000 and ordered to pay over £11,000 in costs at York Magistrates’ Court in February.

Kamil Grygieniec, 23, was cutting grass around a village pond in North Stainley, near Ripon when the ride-on mower descended a steep incline and entered the water.

Kamil’s mother and father said:

“The pain I feel every day since that tragedy is unimaginable, I do not wish that on anybody. That day I lost part of me.”

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) had found the company failed to carry out a site-specific risk assessment and fit a roll-over protection system to the mower.

HSE Inspector, Darian Dundas, said:

“In this case, the failure to assess the risks and ensure suitable safety measures were in place resulted in a tragic and entirely avoidable loss of life.”

BALI is urging members to act on this tragedy now and review current working practice around mowers and slopes, making use of our grass cutting risk assessment template and working safely on slopes guide.