A national recycling firm was fined after an employee was struck
by a 7.5 tonne telehandler.
Preston Crown Court heard Sita UK Limited failed to provide
adequate segregation between pedestrians and moving vehicles at a waste
transfer station in Darwen, Lancashire.
As an employee walked across an outside plastics hand sorting
area, he passed behind a stationary telehandler. The telehandler began to
reverse and struck the worker who was knocked to the ground and then run over
by the rear wheel of the vehicle. His resulting injuries caused him to be
hospitalised for two months.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuting told the Court
the company had identified the risks but failed to put in place suitable
controls to stop people being hit by vehicles.
HSE inspector Stuart Kitchingman said after the hearing:
“Employers need to look carefully at their workplaces regularly to make sure
that pedestrian routes are clearly marked and physically separated from vehicle
routes wherever possible.
“The employee could have easily been killed and still has severe
mobility problems as a result of the accident. He is unlikely to be able to
work in the near future.”
Sita UK Limited of Grenfell Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire, pleaded
guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and
was fined £200,000 with £11,998 costs.
No comments:
Post a Comment