Engineering company in court over fork lift incident
A KNOWSLEY-based engineering company has been fined £30,000 and ordered to pay costs of £7,670 after an employee was badly injured when he was struck by a metal structure during a lifting process.
Knowsley Engineering Services has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after an investigation found the company had failed to ensure that the lifting operation was suitably planned, supervised or carried out safely.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that the worker and a colleague were attempting to manoeuver the structure out of the premises using a fork lift truck. Whilst trying to raise the structure from its supporting trestles it twisted and swung towards the worker, entering the cab of the fork lift truck and striking him.
The 46-year-old worker from Skelmersdale sustained serious flesh wounds and a fractured arm in the incident in June 2014.
The company, which pleaded guilty to a breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act, had not carried out a risk assessment and no formal training had been provided for the employees.
Imran Siddiqui, HSE inspector, said: “Had the company taken basic steps such as providing suitable training so those undertaking the lift were in a more informed position to assess and then adequately manage the risks, this incident would have been avoided.”
