Health and Safety Oversight Leaves Packaging Company with Fines
A corrugated case company is being fined for an incident with a worker. A worker was seriously injured when he was onsite at Pilsley Road in Chesterfield. A heavy goods vehicle hit a 55-year-old man who was returning to work after having a lunch break in 2010. The site was congested with traffic, bad weather, and foot traffic. Many deliveries had been delayed prior to the day the incident happened, and this is why there was more traffic than usual onsite.
The worker was approaching the company’s yard on foot when a lorry manoeuvring into the area suddenly reversed past him into the yard. The worker stepped off the kerb and in front of the vehicle since it was going backwards. During this time the lorry driver stopped reversing and started moving forward unaware that someone was in the road. It knocked the worker down and dragged him under the vehicle. Others noticed his visibility jacket and managed to alert the driver.
As with any incident, health and safety audits were conducted by the HSE. The company being fined was already given verbal instructions for how to make workplace transport better under health and safety consultant advice, yet the company did not implement the guidance and therefore is culpable for some of what happened on that day. Had there been safety measures in place a worker may not have been around any moving vehicles and in harm’s way. It is fortunate the man survived.
