07.04.2005

Lack of planning for "off hire" collection costs £90,000+

Four UK companies have been fined a total of £90,000 plus costs at Maidstone Crown Court for breaches of health and safety legislation committed while loading a piece of equipment onto a delivery truck..

The prosecutions arose from an incident that occurred on the 25 October 2001 on the A20 in Harrietsham, Kent. A paving machine and other plant were being loaded on to a low loader, the plant had been used on the resurfacing of a section of the road that had been completed the previous day.

The low loader was stopped on the road when a motorist drove up the low loaders ramps, crashing into a paving machine. The motorist died as a result of the injuries she received.

The companies fined were O’Hara Bros. Surfacing , Kent County Council, Ringway Highway Services and Ringway.

Peter Collingwood, HM Inspector of Safety and Health, said:

"Ms Lane would still be alive today if the collection of the equipment used for the resurfacing of the carriageway at Harrietsham had been planned, and simple precautions implemented. The highway is rarely the best place to carry out this type of loading operation.

“If loading has to be carried out on the carriageway, lorry low loaders should be equipped with basic traffic management equipment. This may be as simple as a warning sign and traffic cones. Lorries used for this work should also be conspicuously coloured and equipped with the necessary amber flashing beacons, which should at all times be visible to approaching motorists from both directions.“

Vertikal Comment

Telehandlers, Access equipment and some types of crane are often loaded in the same way as in this incident. The sad details of this case serve as a reminder of the need to take precautions as highlighted by Peter Collingwood. It is clear that the HSE are considering the loading and unloading of equipment needs to be properly planned as with all other aspects of a job,