Open-access content
30th May 2019
The man, who worked for JL Engineering (Rixton) at the time of the incident on 11 October 2017, sustained serious crush injuries after the frame toppled off a forklift truck.
The company, whose clients include Balfour Beatty Rail, E.ON, Galliford Try and Network Rail, was fined and ordered to pay costs of £5,895 at Liverpool Magistrates' Court after admitting breaching s 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act.
The worker was trying to release the frame because it was catching the wheels of the forklift. His colleague loosened the securing straps and the frame fell.
He sustained multiple severe fractures and a ruptured bladder. He is still receiving medical treatment and has not been able to return to work.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found JL Engineering had not risk-assessed the task, nor had it created a lifting plan for lifting operations. In addition, employees had not been trained in safe lifting techniques.
HSE inspector Catherine Lyon said the worker's injuries "were life-changing and could have been fatal".
She added: "Employees were put at risk as a result of the company allowing forklift trucks to be used without appropriate training and monitoring of drivers."
Topics: