Summary
An employee was run over by a rough terrain forklift truck whilst he was handling plants and helping to unload stillages. It appears that he had to unload stillages of plants in different places; the driver of the FLT drove to a new location without checking that the road was clear and ran over the employee. He received extensive internal injuries including damage to his spleen which was removed by surgery.
Action
The company did not have any system of work for the control of vehicle movement on site nor did they have a system for protecting members from risks associated with transport.
The company including its Director were prosecuted under:
- Section 2(1) & 3(1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act for not having a safe system for unloading and protecting members from the risks from transport
- Regulation 11(1) under the workplace (health safety and welfare regulations) 1992 for not having a system in place for the organisation of traffic routes
- The director was prosecuted under section 37 (1) of the health & safety at work etc Act 1974 for failing to provide a system.
The case against the Co and its Director was heard in the Crown Court. The Co was fined £10,000 plus costs of £8,853 and its Director £5,000.
Advice
Vehicle routes and movements need to be planned to separate them from pedestrians. Ideally areas where vehicles are manoeuvring should be made pedestrian free.