19.11.2009

Telehandler rear vision costs £65,000

A Northern Ireland contractor has been fined £65,000 for breaching health and safety legislation after an employee died after being run over by a reversing telescopic handler.

John Graham (Dromore) Ltd pleaded guilty to two breaches of legislation at Belfast’s Crown Court late last month. The Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland brought a case against the company, following the death of Gerard Morgan, a 53-year-old labourer, who died after a telehandler reversed over him at the old Ormeau Bakery site on February 27, 2008.

An investigation found that the company did not ensure that the telehandler driver had an adequate field of vision to the rear of the machine.

Prosecutor David McConaghy said the company had recognised that there were problems with the vehicle in question and had fitted a 'fish-eye' mirror in addition to the two reversing mirrors.

However, it had been damaged and not replaced and while the reverse alarms were working properly, the driver's visibility was also hampered by the faulty window-wash system. The operator was not even aware that he had run over Morgan until he was heading back with another skip of concrete.

McConaghy said that traffic management which had worked efficiently until the delivery point to the site was moved. The situation was not reassessed or changed after that.

Defence QC Gerald Simpson said that the company, wished to openly apologise for the tragic and unnecessary death of Morgan, although he realised it would not make any difference to his family.

However Simpson added that the company, accepted the blame for the tragic accident from the outset. He said that Graham's had learned much and a number of new procedures aimed at preventing such accidents in the future had been put into operation.

Louis Burns of the HSENI said: "Companies need to ensure that operators of mobile equipment should be able to see anyone who is put at risk when any control is operated, including driving in reverse."