Fatality involving ride-on lawnmower
What happened?
On the 8th October 2021, a 23-year-old employee, Kamil Grygieniec, was operating a ride-on lawnmower to cut grass on a steep bank near a village pond in North Stainley, North Yorkshire.
The mower travelled down the incline and ended up in the pond. At the time of the incident, a safety-critical roll-over protection system (ROPS) had been removed from the machine.
What was the result?
Mr Grygieniec tragically died in the incident.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that no suitable and sufficient site-specific risk assessment had been carried out before the work commenced and that the critical safety device (ROPS) had been removed from the mower.
The employer, MHS Countryside Management Limited, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. At York Magistrates’ Court on 17 February 2026 the company was fined £27,000 and ordered to pay £11,166 in costs.
Lessons Learned
Risk assessments must be suitable and sufficient for the specific work and environment before any job begins. Please ensure that your risk assessments are specific for the task at hand, and are communicated and understood by workers.
Essential safety features (e.g., ROPS) on machinery must not be removed; they are critical for protecting operators, especially when working on slopes or uneven ground.
Employers must ensure that equipment is suitable for the terrain, tasks and conditions in which it is used.
Further Information
1) Detailed guidance on risk assessment is available from HSE can be found here.
2) The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 sets out employers’ duties to protect the health, safety and welfare of their employees – further details can be found here.
3) The Approved Code of Practice for ‘Safe Use of Work Equipment’, L22 provides additional information on how to comply with the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.