A Chorley company has been fined after a forklift truck (FLT) overturned on a slope, trapping the driver.
Manchester Magistrates' Court heard that on 1 December 2018, an employee of Staveley's Eggs Ltd had been driving the FLT at the company's premises when it overturned, trapping the driver between the truck and the ground, leading to him sustaining serious life-changing crush injuries as a result.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the areas where FLTs were driven had significantly changed in gradient, which were not a suitable surface for the type of FLTs in use. The company failed to both identify and control the risk of FLT overturn.
Staveley's Eggs Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, were fined £60,000 and ordered to pay costs of £4259.42.
HSE inspector Steven Boyd commented, "this incident could so easily have been avoided by ensuring the area where FLTs were driven was free of slopes and damage, and that a suitable FLT was used for the site".
“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards”.
