In the last Latest News article we reported on two serious forklift truck accidents resulting in serious injuries and hefty fines for the companies involved. Unfortunately, this week we hear about another forklift truck accident which caused serious injuries at a cost of over £340,000 for the company involved.
On14 September 2020, Mr Dubey of Nippon Express (UK) Ltd was delivering a large crate containing an electron microscope weighing 1.2 tonnes to Smith & Nephew Medical Ltd in Hull. Originally, Nippon Express intended to provide a forklift truck and driver for the delivery but due to Covid-19 pandemic, Smith & Nephew Medical sought to reduce the number of people on site and took responsibility for unloading the goods. During off-loading the crate with a forklift truck, it fell and landed on Mr Dubey who sustained serious life changing injuries.
An investigation by Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the unloading operation was not adequately planned. There was no assessment of the suitability of the company’s forklift truck in relation to the characteristics of the load and failed to carry out who should be involved and what precautions were necessary. HSE found that the unloading operation was not meaningfully controlled or supervised.
HSE guidance on planning and organising lifting operations states that lifting operations can often put people at great risk of injury, as well as incurring great costs when they go wrong. It is therefore important to properly resource, plan and organise lifting operations so they are carried out in a safe manner.
After the hearing, HSE Inspector David Stewart said, “This case should serve as a reminder to the wider industry of the need to properly plan and supervise unloading operations, particularly where non-standard loads are involved. Such operations require a risk assessment proportionate to the hazards, taking account of the nature of the load, the suitability of lifting equipment and the arrangements for execution and supervision.”
On 14 September 2026, Hull Crown Court found Smith & Nephew Medical Ltd, guilty of breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £230,000 and ordered to pay £111,000 in costs.
Ruth Wallace of Wallace Forklift Training London says “Yet again we hear about another serious forklift truck accident which could have been avoided with appropriate procedures in place. Companies need to plan and execute each forklift truck operation on its merits, especially if it is not part of their routine tasks.”
Wallace School of Transport including Forklift Training in London is a fully accredited RTITB company with over 60 years’ experience. You can be trained either at your own work site or at Wallace Centre in Park Royal. If you have any questions, call Wallace Forklift Training on 020 8453 3440, choose option 3 or click here to email us.