Preston steel firm guilty of health and safety breach
A steel firm in Preston has been found guilty of a safety and health breach in their forklift trucks. A working platform fell from one of the trucks and struck a worker. The worker was 50 at the time of the 2011 incident. He suffered from a fractured rib and back injuries when the metal platform struck him. The company creates steel products that are then supplied throughout the UK.
The HSE conducted health and safety audits after the incident. It was found the platform was not secured to the forklift, but was instead just resting on the forks. The court was also told that the lift was moving steel mesh when the platform slid off. Fortunately, no one was standing on the platform at the time. The worker on the ground was struck leading to the health and safety incident. EDV Reinforcements pled guilty to the safety issue as they failed to adequately protect their employees with workstation risks accounted for and solved. They will have to pay £7,000 as a fine and £3,500 in additional costs for failing to protect their workers.
A spokesperson stated that the platform should never have been lifted until it was properly secured. Someone suffered because of this oversight but it is likely the company and other companies have learned from this incident. Forklift accidents are all too common because of improper training, incomplete risk assessments, and general lax protocols when it comes to lifting objects.
