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‘Improvised’ system leads to tragic workplace death and fine
A Cheshire company has been ordered to pay over £16k in fines and costs after a container slid from forks of a lift truck and crushed an employee. HSE inspector Richard Clarke said: ” the container had a specialist mechanism for emptying it, but an improvised method was used when the incident happened. Employers have a responsibility to ensure that the right equipment is used for the job and to ensure that loads are safely secured. That wasn’t the case in this incident, which sadly led to the loss of a man’s life.”
Comment: This incident occured on factory premises but still has lessons for the construction sector. Lift trucks of various types are used extensively on construction projects and are the second biggest source of mobile plant fatalities (after excavators). The ingenuity of those in the industry will often lead to ‘improvised’ solutions. This case shows that any straying from a plant manufacturers intended use and system of work must be accompanied by careful assessment, thought and planning.