A producer of glass bottles has been fined £500,000 after an employee was struck by a lift truck on their site in Chester.
On 14th December 2015, an employee of Encirc Ltd collided with a lift truck, leaving the worker with a broken arm. Following the incident, an investigation led by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) found that Encirc Ltd had failed to implement effective methods to safely and correctly segregate workers from moving lift trucks. The investigation also found that the current segregation implemented was well below the expected standards.
The courts heard that the company had been served with an Improvement Notice (IN) in 2007 for poor segregation within their yard and warehouse areas. An additional lift truck incident also occurred on the firm’s site in 2008, which resulted in an employee being injured.
Encirc Ltd pleaded guilty to a breach of Regulation 17 of The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations and was fined £500,000, with further costs of £7,920.
On the case, HSE Inspector, Jane Carrol, commented: “Poor segregation leads to accidents. There was a failure to properly plan work and this accident highlights the risks that are involved. Incidents relating to workplace transport can be avoided if effective measures are taken.”
Source: SHP Online, £500k fine after fork lift truck incident, 25th May 2017. Read the full article.