19.07.2011

Video of fork lift fall

We have been sent a security camera video of an accident with a forklift and basket in which a young trainee was injured.

The accident which involves a serious lack of training and supervision cost the property owner and his contractor more than £43,000 after the young trainee in the platform was injured.

The incident occurred in Plymouth in 2009, CL Electrical Solutions Ltd was carrying out work at the premises of HT Gardner Distribution in Plympton. Two young trainees were given a narrow aisle fork truck complete with fork mounted basket and instructed to replace any light bulbs in the warehouse ceiling that were ‘blown’.

The two set out with one driving the forklift and the other, Tom Davis, 18, riding in the cage around six metres up – changing the bulbs. It seems from the video that the two may have started to fool around a little? with the unnamed driver moving around the warehouse with forks and platform elevated and seemingly going a little fast.
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The fallen fork truck

Taking a corner too fast the fork lift tipped with Davis inside the cage, he fractured his pelvis in two places, suffered facial injuries that required stitches, a broken front tooth and lacerations to his elbow.

It seems that not only had the two received no training for the forklift, which was owned by HT Gardner, but company’s policy states that only trained drivers should use forklifts on its premises.

Last month Plymouth magistrates’ court committed the defendants to crown court for sentencing after stating that there had been "a catalogue of breaches on the part of individuals in both defendant companies" and having taking on board the serious injuries sustained by Tom Davis.

HT Gardner was fined a total of £20,000 plus costs of £11,300, while CL Electrical was fined £7,000 with £5,000 costs. Both companies pleaded guilty.

HSE inspector, Helena Allum, said: "Changing light bulbs is such a common job the safety implications can be overlooked, but in high roofed workplaces, falls from height are a very real and serious risk. This job was not properly risk assessed and as a result both companies chose the wrong equipment for the job and came up with a loose system of work. The two young trainees, inexperienced in work at height and not trained to use a forklift, were then left to get on with it”.

"Any work at height needs to properly planned, the right equipment chosen and workers given sufficient training to do the job correctly and properly supervised."