Fine after fork lift runs over worker

Cannock Magistrates’ Court heard that on the 28 November 2015 an employee at Alternative Parcel Company (APC) Overnight Ltd suffered serious injuries to both legs after he was hit and run over by a forklift truck which was operating in the same area.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the company failed to ensure agency workers had been suitably inducted before being allowed to work in an area where forklift trucks were operating. The investigation also found the company had failed to explain the measures designed to keep pedestrians and fork lift trucks separated to its workers. There was no control of the keys for the fork lift trucks on the day shift, where they were permitted inside the sortation hub, even though they were banned from the inside of the building on the night shift.

APC Overnight Ltd of Sortation Hub, Blakeney Way, Kingswood Lakeside, have pleaded guilty, to breaching section 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and has been fined £120,000 and ordered to pay costs of £10,500.

Speaking after the case, HSE inspector Steve Shaw said, “Those in control of work have a responsibility to both devise safe methods of working and to provide the necessary information, instruction, and training to their workers in the safe system of working. Employers must ensure agency staff have a suitable and sufficient induction so that they can work safely and be safe.

“If a suitable safe system of work and induction process had been in place prior to this particular incident, the injuries sustained by the employee could have been prevented.”