Allen Roberts, of Hill Farm, Monmouth, has been fined £5,500 after one of his employees suffered fatal injuries when crushed by an ATV.
Colin Williams, who was a passenger in the ATV, died at the scene when he was crushed by the vehicle.
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), neither man in the ATV was wearing a seatbelt, nor had they received adequate training to safely use the vehicle.
The incident occurred on 25 August 2022, when the driver of the ATV lost control. Williams, aged 58, was then ejected from the vehicle, which did not have doors.
An investigation by HSE also determined that no routine pre-use checks were carried out on vehicles used on the farm to ensure they were safe to operate.
Investigators also identified that the tyres of the ATV were improperly inflated, with differing pressures in each tyre, which should have been corrected before the vehicle was used.
Moreover, the vehicle was being driven in a high gear and two-wheel drive when it should have been operated in a low gear and four-wheel drive.
The keys to the ATV were not adequately controlled and were available to anyone on the farm, including those who had not received adequate training.
Williams was the only employee of Hill Farm and was being assisted by the driver of the ATV while clearing vegetation and trees from a farm access route.
HSE guidance states that employers must provide employees who use ATVs with adequate training and instruction on their safe use.
Any operators using the ATV owned by Roberts should have received training in the safe operation of the vehicle on the type of terrain present on the farm and should have been instructed to wear seatbelts where there was a foreseeable risk of overturning.
There should also have been a system of pre-use inspections to ensure defects were identified and remedial action taken before the vehicle was used.
Roberts pleaded guilty to an offence under Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
He was fined £5,500 and ordered to pay £5,813 in costs at Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates’ Court on 2 September 2026.
HSE principal inspector Damian Corbett said the dangers associated with ATVs in agriculture and forestry were well known.
“Anyone operating these machines should have the right training and be wearing seat belts when travelling,” he said.
“This accident was a tragic consequence of a lack of training, and a lack of basic safety precautions which cost a family a husband and a father.”
He continued: “Employers must ensure that those entrusted to operate vehicles are properly trained and instructed to wear seat belts or safety equipment where there is a risk.”
