Firm fined after 10-year-old fault leaves worker seriously injured
12:05 - 21/12/2010
Firm fined after 10-year-old fault le...
A worker at a stationery supply firm suffered serious injuries when he was caught in an accident involving a piece of equipment which had been broken for a decade.
Nathan Ford, 30, found himself caught between a reversing lorry and a raised loading platform as he received deliveries to the loading bay at his workplace in Bristol. He sustained a fractured collarbone and forearm in the incident which occurred on 22nd April this year.
Mr Ford’s employer, Business Forms Express, which supplies commercial stationery products, was prosecuted at Bath Magistrate’s Court after an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that part of the equipment involved in the accident had been broken for 10 years.
The court heard how the dock leveller, a piece of equipment designed to bridge the gap between the back of the truck and the loading bay, was not working, and had not been for some time. When an automatic flap failed to rise, Mr Ford was forced to hold it up manually and, when the truck began to reverse, he became trapped between the back of the vehicle and the front of the dock leveller.
It also came to light that Mr Ford did not usually work in this area, but was standing in for the regular storeman, who had been forced to develop a way of working with the broken equipment. This method had not been explained to Mr Ford, however, and he was unaware of the equipment fault.
Business Forms Express, who are based in Temple Cloud, pleaded guilty to breaching the Provision of Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. They were fined a total of £4,500 and ordered to pay a further £2,626 in court costs. They also had to pay Mr Ford £500 in compensation.
Commenting on the case, HSE Inspector Dominic Goacher, said: “In the ten years this equipment had been used by the company it had never worked as intended by the manufacturer. It is astonishing that this company allowed its workers to use equipment which had been broken for so long.
“[...] This case demonstrates what can happen when simple safety procedures are ignored.”
First Response Training offers a wide variety of health and safety training courses for all industry sectors. Darren Emery, Business Development Director at First Response, explains: “Thousands of accidents occur in the workplace every year. They cost companies thousands of pounds and, in some cases, cost employees their livelihood, or even their lives.
“There is a general misconception about health and safety; people think it is just there to cause problems and is about over-the-top precautions and complete risk aversion. That is simply not true; it is about simple safety procedures that will protect workers and the general public from ill-health and injury.
"Stories like these should not be dismissed – they are all too common and they clearly show how important health and safety in the workplace is. Some simple training can help to protect your employees from harm and protect your firm from costly court prosecutions.”
For more information, please call the First Response team on 0800 310 2300.
Nathan Ford, 30, found himself caught between a reversing lorry and a raised loading platform as he received deliveries to the loading bay at his workplace in Bristol. He sustained a fractured collarbone and forearm in the incident which occurred on 22nd April this year.
Mr Ford’s employer, Business Forms Express, which supplies commercial stationery products, was prosecuted at Bath Magistrate’s Court after an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that part of the equipment involved in the accident had been broken for 10 years.
The court heard how the dock leveller, a piece of equipment designed to bridge the gap between the back of the truck and the loading bay, was not working, and had not been for some time. When an automatic flap failed to rise, Mr Ford was forced to hold it up manually and, when the truck began to reverse, he became trapped between the back of the vehicle and the front of the dock leveller.
It also came to light that Mr Ford did not usually work in this area, but was standing in for the regular storeman, who had been forced to develop a way of working with the broken equipment. This method had not been explained to Mr Ford, however, and he was unaware of the equipment fault.
Business Forms Express, who are based in Temple Cloud, pleaded guilty to breaching the Provision of Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. They were fined a total of £4,500 and ordered to pay a further £2,626 in court costs. They also had to pay Mr Ford £500 in compensation.
Commenting on the case, HSE Inspector Dominic Goacher, said: “In the ten years this equipment had been used by the company it had never worked as intended by the manufacturer. It is astonishing that this company allowed its workers to use equipment which had been broken for so long.
“[...] This case demonstrates what can happen when simple safety procedures are ignored.”
First Response Training offers a wide variety of health and safety training courses for all industry sectors. Darren Emery, Business Development Director at First Response, explains: “Thousands of accidents occur in the workplace every year. They cost companies thousands of pounds and, in some cases, cost employees their livelihood, or even their lives.
“There is a general misconception about health and safety; people think it is just there to cause problems and is about over-the-top precautions and complete risk aversion. That is simply not true; it is about simple safety procedures that will protect workers and the general public from ill-health and injury.
"Stories like these should not be dismissed – they are all too common and they clearly show how important health and safety in the workplace is. Some simple training can help to protect your employees from harm and protect your firm from costly court prosecutions.”
For more information, please call the First Response team on 0800 310 2300.
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