A Clear Case of Victim Blaming in Worker's Death?

Why no HSE prosecution in connection with this agricultural worker's death? Does HSE apply a lower standard to agricultural safety or to foreign temporary workers? 

Perhaps we should be told?

Agriculture has one of the worst rates of serious accidents, incidents and fatatalities of any occupational sector, yet HSE enforcement appears lax as compared to other industries and employers.  This tragic case is recent example. See the AI summary on agriculture safety and fatalities at the bottom of this Inquest report by 'Cornwall Live".

Misadventure verdict over Cornwall farm worker's crush death

Inquest heard how Aleksej Kleinov was a well regarded and experienced farm worker

 Olivier Vergnault Senior Reporter

03. Feb. 2026

(Getty Images)

A tractor driver died when the trailer he hitched to his tractor crushed him and may have moved faster than anticipated, an inquest heard.

Aleksej Kleinov had been a well regarded and experienced farm worker with Southern England Farms Ltd, one of the largest producers of brassica and vegetables in Cornwall with more than 7,000 acres of farmland and up to 450 staff.

A two-day inquest into the death of the 34-year-old heard that on the day of his death on April 11, 2024, in a cauliflower field outside Trispen, Truro, he went over to help a less experienced colleague who was struggling to hitch up a mini packer to her tractor.

The hearing, held in Truro on Monday and Tuesday February 2-3, heard how the Lithuanian national climbed into the mini packer - also known as a box rig - and leaned over the front of the trailer as his colleague lined up the tractor with the trailer.

Once Mr Kleinov managed to connect the three-arm linkage system to the trailer, his colleague lifted the trailer.

It was then that Mr Kleinov was hit at the back of the skull and neck by the farm machinery. He suffered fatal injuries and despite efforts by colleagues and later by paramedics to revive him, he was declared deceased at the scene.

Dr Amanda Jeffery, a Home Office registered pathologist who carried out the postmortem examination on Mr Kleinov, gave a medical cause of death as head and neck injuries. A toxicology examination was negative for alcohol and/or drugs.

As a result of the work environment in which Mr Kleinov's death occurred the Health and Safety Executive launched an investigation.

The inquest heard from Gordon Stokes, the farm manager at SEF, who said that Mr Kleinov should not have found himself standing between the trailer and the tractor when doing the hitching manoeuvre and in that sense the normal procedure was not followed correctly.

Mr Stokes said: "He put himself in harm's way by doing what he did and asking someone to lift the arms when the gap was going to close."

Health and Safety Executive inspector Alexander Ashen, who led the investigation into Mr Kleinov's death, told the hearing that several employees at SEF had also hitched up the mini packer onto their tractors by climbing into it rather than doing it from the side, which, although being the correct way to do it, means they end up covered in mud as it is a tight space between the mini packer and the wheel of the tractor.

He told the jury inquest that the alternative is to climb into the mini packer and leaning over the front which is what Mr Kleinov did on the day of his death.

In his investigation conclusion, Mr Ashen said: "While attempting to attach the mini packer to the tractor using the three point linkage connection, Aleksej was crushed between the mini packer fixed headboard and the support structure of the cauliflower harvesting system that was positioned above the top rail of the headboard.

"As the cauliflower harvesting system was a fixed item it could not move up or down. Aleksej was crushed when the mini packer was raised by the tractor linkage mechanism.

"When the mini packer was lifted it may have moved more quickly than Aleksej had anticipated."

Mr Ashen also told the inquest that while there have been other employees who have at times leaned over the front of the mini packer to hitch it up to their tractor, they have all done so on their own and without the involvement of anyone else in the cabin of tractor.

The inquest heard that following Mr Kleinov's death, SEF stopped using mini packers and has tightened its training and safety procedures with the training of new drivers now being much more formal.

After a short deliberation, the jury returned a conclusion of death by misadventure.

AI overview of UK agricultural safety record

In 2023/24, 27 people were killed in agricultural-related incidents in Great Britain, making it the deadliest industry sector. This included 23 farm workers and four members of the public (including children). The sector has a fatality rate 21 times higher than the all-industry average. 

Key Statistics (2023/24 & Recent Trends)

• Total Deaths: 27 deaths in agriculture, forestry, and fishing in Great Britain (April 2023 – March 2024).
• Average Rate: Over the past 13 years, an average of 31 lives have been lost annually on UK farms.
• Worker vs. Public: 23 deaths were workers, 4 were members of the public.
• Northern Ireland: An additional 5 farm workers died in Northern Ireland during this period.
• Most Dangerous Job: Agriculture consistently has the worst fatal injury rate of any UK sector.
• Demographics: Workers aged 45 and over account for 80% of all agricultural fatalities. 

Common Causes of Death

• Injured by Animals: Cattle-related incidents are a primary cause of death.
• Vehicles and Machinery: Overturns,, being struck by moving vehicles, and entanglement in machinery.
• Falls from Height: Often involving roofs or ladders.
• Falling Objects: Bales and collapsing structures. 

Note: The figures often include forestry and fishing under the broader "agriculture" category as reported by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).