E. Jackson (Chatburn) has been finedA Lancashire trucking company has been fined GBP30,000 (USD37,000) after a mechanic died while repairing a forklift truck.
Joseph Robinson, a mechanic at E. Jackson (Chatburn), was working with a new employee as they attempted to fix a steering fault on a forklift at the firm’s site at Salthill Industrial Estate in Clitheroe in late 2020. While doing this, Robinson, 39, told the new employee, who was driving the forklift truck, to move the vehicle forwards.
However, the forklift truck reversed and trapped Robinson against a trailer.
Robinson was taken to hospital with severe head injuries following the incident and placed in an induced coma. He died the following day.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the forklift was over 30 years old and had not been maintained nor subjected to a Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) examination for some years.
Had the owner properly maintained the forklift and provided the driver with appropriate training, this incident could have been prevented, the HSE notes.
HSE inspector Shellie Bee says the incident could have been avoided. “Employers should ensure they carry out an assessment of the risks created by forklifts and ensure safe systems of work for their safe operation and maintenance are followed,” she adds.