Stationery firm fined following work accident

A Bristol-based stationery supply firm has been fined following a workplace accident in which an employee was seriously injured.

The 30-year-old man was employed by Business Forms Express in Temple Cloud - which supplies commercial stationery products - and was unloading a consignment of paper reels when the accident occurred in April.

The employee was covering the absence of the regular storeman and overseeing deliveries onto a raised loading bay. As the dock leveller flap – which fills in the gap between the truck and the loading bay – was out of order, the worker attempted to hold up a flap to bridge the gap manually.

However, once the truck began reversing, the worker became trapped, fracturing his arm and collarbone as a result.

The subsequent investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) discovered that the dock leveller flap had not been in working order for ten years.

Dominic Goacher, HSE Inspector, said, "It is astonishing that this company allowed its workers to use equipment which had been broken for so long.

"To compound matters, the regular storeman had been forced to develop a way of working using the faulty equipment, but this was not passed on. This case demonstrates what can happen when simple safety procedures are ignored," he added.

Business Forms Express pleaded guilty to breaching three health and safety regulations at Bath Magistrates Court and was fined £1,500 for each breach, plus £2,626 in costs. The firm was also ordered to pay £500 in compensation to the victim.