Firm prosecuted for lack of workstation risk assessments
A driver for a Devon company suffered injuries from a fall. The driver was located at Wiltshire Feed Mill and was on top of a lorry when he fell onto a concrete floor. He was removing the cover protecting the products he was delivering. He fell from the truck because proper health and safety at work measures were not in place. The company for which he drove should have ensured proper workstation risk assessments were conducted so that the cover could be removed from the truck without incident. The court heard about the incident of the 34-year-old man that occurred in 2011. He fell from the steps of his lorry, fracturing his wrist and pelvis. He had to remain hospitalised for seven days and was out of work for 11 weeks. He only has 80% usage in his wrist along with arthritis due to the incident.
The HSE felt it was necessary to prosecute the firm due to the work from heights regulations they breached. The prosecution has led to a fine of £6,000 and court costs of £4,000. If simple measures had been in place, the worker would not have sustained the injuries. Rather, he would have continued working without any injuries to his wrist or pelvis. Anytime there are work from height incidents the HSE has to examine the situation to see if all reasonable precautions are taken so that a fall from height does not occur.
