One of Wrexham's biggest companies has been ordered to pay a total of £33,000 after two forklift truck drivers were badly injured. Frozen food firm Pann Krisp pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 on two separate occasions in July 2005.
Wrexham Magistrates heard how, in the first incident, an employee suffered back injuries when his pallet truck fell from a trailer on 3 July. The company had been experiencing problems with the roof on its cold store and had instead installed refrigerated trailers which were parked in loading bays. Air suspension systems were activated to raise the trailers so they became level with the bays, allowing loading trucks to enter them via "fixing bridges." However the suspension systems leaked overnight causing trailers to drop below the level of the loading bay. As the worker drove a pallet truck from the trailer, the truck slipped between the loading bay and the trailer, resulting in him being dropped in a standing position like a "ballet dancer" with his legs pointing down.
The second and more serious incident occurred 11 days later when a forklift truck driver was trying to pick up some pallets which had fallen from his vehicle. He was struck by another forklift truck coming from the opposite direction, which resulted in both his legs being broken, and the possibility that one might have to be amputated. The employer had been working in a narrow area at the time, which was not wide enough for two forklift trucks.
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector Stephen Window commented, "Both accidents demonstrated the clear need for employers who have vehicles in the workplace to have clear risk assessments and procedures in place for their operation. Incidents with forklift trucks are far too common and they invariably result in serious injury. Where possible, pedestrians should be segregated from vehicles to minimise the risk of the two coming into contact. Drivers need to be trained and re-trained if necessary on safe operation within workplaces."
