Palletways (UK) facing £100,000 bill for forklift incident

Health & Safety update 09/01/2012

An incident in which a forklift truck driver had his neck broken by a falling computer cabinet has seen the logistics firm for which he was working ordered to pay more than £100,000 in fines and costs.

Palletways (UK) Ltd, which is based in Lichfield, pleaded guilty at Stafford Crown Court to breaching Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 during the incident in August 2008.

The 60-year-old worker had been knocked to the ground by the cabinet after he saw it rocking on the forks. He sustained a visible bleeding head wound and a broken wrist, but a poor chain of command saw him taken round the depot to find the assigned first aider, who then drove him to a hospital that did not have an accident and emergency department. The worker has been left permanently disabled due to the incident.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector Lyn Spooner said that the incident could have easily been a case of death or paralysis and the company was very poorly prepared for it.

"Any company that carries out lifting operations must assess the risks thoroughly, especially the need for proper training and supervision," she said. "There was also a string of management failings in dealing with [the worker] when he reported the incident. It was clear that he had suffered a head injury and Palletways (UK) should have treated this as a very serious incident and called an ambulance immediately."

Palletways (UK) Ltd was fined £60,000 and ordered to pay costs of £41,339.

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