One man was recently injured in a work accident claim at Heathrow Airport after a fork lift truck suddenly moved out from under him.
Mr John Nicholas had been employed by Messier Services Ltd ad the time of the accident claim. He was performing maintenance on an Airbus A340 in one of the international airport’s maintenance hangar with the aid of a colleague.
Mr Nicholas’ injury claims occurred when he and his colleague were two metres in the air thanks to a pallet that had been raised by a fork lift truck. Both workers were aligning a socket located on the aircraft’s underside with a landing gear fitting barrel at the time.
Mr Nicholas fell to the floor when the fork lift truck supporting the pallet he was kneeling on suddenly reversed. As a result of the fall he suffered severe injuries to his teeth and mouth and a fracture in one of his knee caps. Mr Nichols went through several surgical procedures in his recovery. Many workers who are injured in similar accidents go on to make personal injury claims for the injuries they sustain in fork lift truck accidents.
The Health and Safety Executive investigated the accident and found that Messier Services neglected to plan the procedure properly. As a result the HSE prosecuted the company for their role in the accident. Messier Services entered a plea of guilty in Magistrates’ Court for the City of London and were assessed a fine of £7,200.
After the fine was levied against the firm a Health and Safety Executive inspector commented on the work accident claim. The inspector remarked that regardless of where their employees are working, employers have a duty to provide safe working practices at all times.
It has not been disclosed at this time if Mr Nicholas will be pursuing a personal injury claim against his employer or the airport.