Health & Safety Update (August 2010)

Haulage company prosecuted following work injury

A West Yorkshire-based haulage company has been found guilty of health and safety breaches after an employee suffered a serious workplace injury, which has served to highlight the dangers of loading workplace transport.

Forty-nine year-old Nicholas Holmes from Bradford was delivering panel saws to the Saw Centre in Glasgow in August 2007 when one of the saws fell off the lorry which he was unloading and hit him on the head. He has been left with permanent brain damage following the incident.

The company for which he was working, Joda Freight Limited, of Keighley, was prosecuted at Glasgow Sheriff Court this week. The company pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and was fined £5,000.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that Joda Freight was lacking a reliable system of communication to ensure that their drivers were informed about the securing and stability of loads.

According to HSE, more than 1,200 people were injured when loading or unloading vehicles in the UK last year, with millions of pounds also being lost in damaged goods.

HSE Inspector Jean Edgar said, "A significant number of workplace accidents occur during deliveries and collections.

"Haulage companies must make sure information is properly communicated between drivers on how a load is secured and strapped. Verbal messages through a third party may not be enough," she added.