Norlec doubles up on forklift accidents

Prosecutions and Claims |
15.09.2007

Two accidents just 18 days apart involving reversing fork-lift trucks have landed a sheet metal manufacturer with a £20,000 fine.
Leyland-based Norlec Engineering pleaded guilty to four charges at South Ribble Magistrates' Court on 18 July, after two people were injured in separate incidents at its site in February 2006.

On 10 February, Stephen Hewitt, an employee of Chorley Pallets, suffered severe bruising to his foot when a fork-lift truck reversed over it. He had just delivered a batch of 220 wooden pallets to the site and was approaching the forklift driver for a signature when the accident happened. He was off work for five days.

On 28 February, another Norlec employee, Ian Hustings, suffered a broken leg and was laid up for several months after a forklift reversed into him as he entered the despatch yard.

HSE inspector Joanne Nicholls told HSW Norlec had failed to control the safety of delivery drivers on site: it was common practice for drivers to be out of their vehicle cabs and close to forklifts during loading and unloading.

"They had no control in the sense that they had no designated waiting areas," explained Nicholls. "The loading area itself wasn't physically demarcated in any way; there were no barriers or painted markings on the floor; and there was no management control exercised to ensure that drivers stayed in their cabs whilst their vehicles were loaded."

A lack of physical measures to segregate pedestrians and trucks also contributed to the second incident. "The yard was basically a large expanse of concrete," she said.

Following the incidents, Norlec drew up an action plan for improving safety at the site.

The firm was fined £10,000 and £7000 for breaches of Sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act, and £2000 and £1000 for breaches of Regulation 3(1)(a) and Regulation 3(1)(b) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations for having inadequate risk assessments. The company was also ordered to pay full HSE costs of £3311.