Egg production firm fined £60k following forklift truck accident
A Chorley company has been fined after a forklift truck overturned on a slope, trapping the driver.
Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard that on December 1, 2018, an employee of Staveley’s Eggs had been driving the vechicle at the company’s premises at Goosnargh, near Preston, when the truck overturned, trapping the driver between the truck and the ground, leading to him sustaining serious life-changing crush injuries as a result.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the areas where vehicles were driven had significant changes in gradient, which were not a suitable surface for the type of forklift trucks in use.
The company failed to both identify and control the risk of forklift truck overturn.
Staveley’s Eggs, of Coppull, Chorley, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
The company was fined £60,000 and ordered to pay costs of £4,259.42.
After the hearing, HSE inspector Steven Boyd said: “This incident could so easily have been avoided by ensuring the area where forklift trucks were driven was free of slopes and damage, and that a suitable forklift truck was used for the site.
“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”
