A Renault sign. (drawing) – NEW CHINA / SIPA
The Rouen prosecutor’s office on Tuesday requested a fine of 200,000 euros against a Renault plant located in Cléon (Seine-Maritime). The factory is accused of manslaughter after the death of a 33-year-old worker, father of two, in 2016.
“There is an accumulation of faults on the part of the employer, with a cause and effect link with the death” of the victim, said Marion Meunier, deputy prosecutor of the Republic in Rouen. Renault SAS is also being sued. The decision will be rendered on May 31.
⚖️ The Rouen prosecutor’s office on Tuesday April 13 requested a fine of 200,000 euros against a factory of the car manufacturer #Renault for the manslaughter of a 33-year-old employee, father of two children, in 2016 https://t.co/CTtc8jw6WY
– The Labor Law Blog (@droit_travail) April 13, 2021
A simple accident of inattention?
Jérôme Deschamps died on March 17, 2016 after an accident that had occurred seven days earlier. The thirty-something had been found lifeless, crushed by the box of the drying compartment of an industrial washing machine. The prosecution notably denounced a “lack of prior risk assessment” and the fact that the victim had not received “specific training in this machine”.
“He had no training on the machine,” said the lawyer for the brother and wife of the victim, civil parties alongside the CGT. “Coaching, as it is practiced at Renault, is not training. In reality, employees train themselves. “
The former director of the plant, however, spoke of a “carelessness”. “It’s a dramatic accident,” said Paul Carvalho. For the defense lawyer, the victim even did “something totally forbidden: he slipped into a working machine”, highlighting Jérôme Deschamps’ 15 years of experience and his numerous security trainings .