Minteq UK Ltd (trading as Specialty Minerals), a manufacturer of Calcium Carbonate products in Birmingham was sentenced on 19th July 2019 after a worker suffered fatal injuries when struck by a forklift truck.
On 24th July 2017, Christine Workman was struck by a forklift truck whist walking in the designated pedestrian area of the site’s roadway. She sadly suffered severe crash injuries and died on 8th August 2017.
An investigation by the HSE found the measures in place to separate and segregate pedestrians from vehicles were inadequate, with the designated pedestrian walkway running, unprotected, down the centre of the roadway used by vehicles. Minteq UK Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Etc. Act 1974 and has been fined £200,000 and ordered to pay costs of £23,217.87.
Speaking after the case, HSE inspector Kay Brookes commented:
“Far too many people are killed and seriously injured by vehicles in the workplace every year. Provisional data for 2018-19 shows that of the 147 workers fatally injured, 30 of them were as a result of being struck by a moving vehicle. Many hundreds are left with life-changing injuries. The requirement to ensure adequate separation and segregation between pedestrians and vehicles is paramount. This tragic and wholly avoidable incident highlights the need for companies to comply with their legal duty to identify what can kill and seriously hurt people in their workplace and take steps to stop that happening.”
Ruth Wallace of Wallace School of Transport says that Forklift Training by an RTITB NORS accredited training provider reduces the risk of accidents and is a must for all forklift drivers. It is a small cost compared to the liabilities a company would incur in an event of an accident.
Wallace School of Transport is a fully accredited RTITB company with over 50 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 for free on 0800 612 8948, choose option 3 or click here to email us.