£1 million fine following fatal incident at Gloucestershire cement plant
Regulatory & Commercial, Inquiries & Inquests
Jemima Lovatt represented the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in the prosecution of Dragon Alfa Cement Limited following the death of an employee at its cement bagging plant in Sharpness, Gloucestershire.
Martin Bennett, 35, died after being crushed by a 1.6-tonne concrete weight used within machinery at the plant in August 2021.
An HSE investigation found that a large section of perimeter fencing around the equipment had routinely been removed over a prolonged period, allowing access to dangerous moving parts of the machinery.
Dragon Alfa Cement Limited pleaded guilty to breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. At Bristol Magistrates’ Court on 21 July 2026, the company was fined £1 million and ordered to pay £9,621 in costs.
Jemima Lovatt of Cornerstone Barristers appeared for the HSE unled against a Silk, instructed by HSE enforcement lawyer Alan Hughes, supported by paralegal officer Lynne Thomas.
Read more about the case here.
