Archive for the 'Fork lift trucks' Category

Published in Truckstop News – May 2009.

In this month’s issue Steven Hinchliffe of the specialist Personal Injury firm Hinchliffes Solicitors will consider “TRAILERS – HAZARDS THAT CAN RESULT IN ACCIDENTS”.

My many years’ experience of injury compensation claims made by truckers suggests that more problems arise when delivering or collecting a load than on the roads.  It is therefore not surprising that regulations place responsibilities on both employers and employees to help reduce the risk of injury.

Employers’ basic duties in this regard include:-

•  undertaking risk assessments and planning the loading and unloading of vehicles so as to avoid or minimise the need to work at height;
•  ensuring there are well designed access points to vehicles and trailers;
•  fitting additional safety equipment if necessary, eg access ladders or non-slip surfaces;
•  providing protective equipment, eg slip resistant footwear;
•  ensuring work equipment is well maintained;
•  recognising problems with particular vehicles and responding to suggestions, eg for preventing falls from those vehicles;
•  ensuring supervisors check how people get on and off vehicles, and enforce safe systems of work.

Published in Truckstop News – August 2008.

In this month’s issue Steven Hinchliffe of the specialist Personal Injury firm Hinchliffes Solicitors considers the “DANGERS ASSOCIATED WITH FORKLIFT TRUCKS”.

The Health and Safety Executive estimates that each year there are around 8,000 forklift truck (“FLT”) accidents resulting in injury, about 10 of which are fatal.  Inadequate training appears to be a significant cause of these accidents, but other issues such as operator error, unsuitable premises, poor layout and design of the FLT operating areas, and poor maintenance are also contributory factors.

A firm has been prosecuted after a work accident in which one of its workers died.  The accident happened in January 2005 when a 60-year-old employee was crushed.

A forklift truck had been going round a corner when its driver performed an emergency stop in order to avoid hitting a staff member.  Due to the sudden braking, a steel coil situated on the forks became dislodged and fell on top of the man, pinning him to the ground.  He later died from his injuries.

As a result of this accident at work IP, a firm which is located in Uxbridge, was given a fine of £50,000 and ordered to pay £6,000 in costs at a hearing at Leeds Crown Court.  The company pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety regulations.

Insurers for employers are recommending more staff training as part of a safety campaign to help prevent transport accidents in the workplace.

Figures provided by the Health and Safety Executive indicate that one quarter of all workplace transport incidents involve forklift trucks, and it is felt that additional training could help prevent a work accident from occurring.  In the event of an accident, if injuries are sustained, this could result in claims for personal injury compensation.

In the workplace forklift trucks can be particularly dangerous and can result in accidents involving workers being struck or run over, or being hit by something that has fallen from the vehicle.  Other accidents can happen when workers themselves fall from the vehicle, or when it is overturned.