Terence Jones suffered a fractured vertebra in his lower back

A firm in Smethwick has been ordered to pay out almost GBP10,000 (USD 16,241) after a worker was left seriously injured when a forklift truck he was driving fell off an unloading ramp.

According to a report in the Express & Star, Terence Jones suffered a fractured vertebra in his lower back when the ramp disconnected from the lorry and the forklift truck fell 4 ft. (1.22 m) to the ground with him inside.

The incident occurred at Linde Creighton Ltd, in Dartmouth Rd, on October 21 last year. The 58-year-old died two months later from a heart attack, unrelated to the industrial incident.

At Sandwell Magistrates' Court, the company pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the health and safety of the operator.

Caroline Lane, prosecuting for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), said the victim was reversing the truck onto a ramp at the back of the lorry when it fell to the ground.

She said a manual on how to use the ramp instructed it should be raised to the back of a lorry while supported by a hydraulic pump and then connected to the rear of the vehicle with two safety chains. However, when the ramp gave way under Jones, only one chain was connected.

Lane said an investigation had found the company had failed to enforce safety procedures for workers using the ramp and had not carried out regular risk assessments.