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Jury finds telehandler operator responsible for death of co-worker

The operator of a telescopic handler on a Kier Western site in Plymouth has been found guilty of causing death by gross negligence.

Nigel Herring was the operating a Manitou telehandler in September 2007 when the machine tipped causing the skip it was carrying to strike 20-year-old Reece French causing fatal injuries.

The prosecution stated that Mr Herring was trained to operate the machine and breached five ‘golden rules’:

• the telehandler stabilisers were not deployed;
• the load was raised above two co-workers;
• the machine was moving forward with the boom extended;
• the forks were not adjusted to fit skip securing sleeves and;
• audible and visual alarms were not acted upon.

Character references for Mr Herring called him a ‘gentle giant’ who would have swapped places with victim ‘in a heartbeat.’

Mr Herring will be sentenced in two weeks.

This article was posted on 3rd December 2009 in ALL LATEST NEWS, PROSECUTIONS, TELEHANDLERS, telehandler.
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