A forklift truck accident at a Lancashire steel manufacturing firm left one employee seriously injured after he was struck by a working platform that had fallen from the truck’s forks, it was recently reported.
The fifty year old man, whose name has yet to be released to the press, had been working at the Preston-based premises of EDV Reinforcements Ltd at the time of the incident. Work accident claim experts say that the falling platform fractured a rib and also caused serious injuries to his back and muscles as well.
The platform, which was being used to move a large quantity of steel mesh, was constructed out of heavy-duty metal. However, if slid from the forks during transport, striking the nearby worker and causing his injuries, according to testimony given by the Health and Safety Executive’s personal injury compensation experts in Preston Magistrates’ Court.
The court heard that the HSE’s investigation into the incident discovered that the platform had not been secured to the forks of the forklift truck in any way and had in fact only been resting upon them. The government watchdog prosecuted EDV Reinforcements Ltd, leading to a fine of £7,000 for the company in addition to £3,566 in court costs and legal fees after it pleaded guilty to breaching Health and Safety regulations.
The firm had been guilty of negligence by permitting the platform to be raised on the forklift truck’s forks without taking steps to make sure it was secured properly, said an inspector for the HSE speaking after the conclusion of the hearing.