YORKSHIRE'S National Coal Mining Museum Trust and two other companies have been ordered to pay £590,000 in fines and costs after a worker from Grimethorpe was crushed and killed at the museum in 2011.

Father-of-two Michael Buckingham, 58, of Taylor Crescent, died after he became trapped between a tunnel construction machine and a dumper loader which he was operating.

The incident, on January 25 2011, happened 138 metres below ground at the museum's site at Caphouse Colliery in Wakefield.

Rex Tedd QC, for the HSE, said the dumper was unsafe as it did not have a readily-accessible emergency stop function, didn't meet essential safety requirements relating to the design and supply or machinery and posed a foreseeable risk that it would entrap the operator.

AMCO was fined £110,000 and £245,000 after pleading guilty to a breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act and a breach of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations.

Metal Innovations Ltd, was fined £80,000 with £110,000 costs after admitting a breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act in connection with the supply of machinery. Both companies were guilty of breaches that were clearly connected to the loss of Mr Buckingham's life.

The museum trust was fined £10,000 with £35,000 costs after admitting breaching the Management and Administration of Safety and Health at Mines Regulations 1993.

Mr Buckingham's widow, Gail, said: "Mick was a hardworking, loving husband and family man who will always be missed. Although we are satisfied with the outcome, we would have liked responsibility to have been accepted a long time ago."

** The full story is in the Barnsley Chronicle, dated December 24. **