A jury at Coventry Coroners Court concluded this week that the death of David Carpenter in January 2023 was an accident.
The inquest heard that his coat became entangled when he lent over the machinery of a refuse collection vehicle and he was lifted into its hopper and crushed.
Jurors said this was a foreseeable risk and ‘the risk assessment was therefore inadequate, insufficient and incomplete’.
They also found that a ‘culture of underreporting of incidents and near misses’ meant opportunities to keep Mr Carpenter safe were missed.
Additional mechanical and electrical safety features would have made the Dennis Eagle vehicle safer, they added.
Dennis Eagle said it respected the inquest’s conclusions.
A spokesperson for the vehicle manufacturer said: ‘The proceedings have been extensive and thorough, and have provided us (and the waste management industry, more generally) with valuable insights and awareness.
‘We will continue to update our products as technologies develop and have already made available to our customers an upgrade which enhances the safety of existing products in service.
‘We have never compromised on safety and never will. All of our products meet or exceed all relevant standards and regulations.’
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