A logistics company has been heavily fined after a worker was injured unloading a delivery lorry.
The agency worker was unchaining the visiting lorry’s loading ramp when the vehicle moved forward with one chain still attached to the ramp. The worker was crushed between the ramp and a barrier.
An investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) found the company had failed to:
- fully control the risks from operating vehicle loading and unloading ramps
- put in place suitably robust systems of work
- provide sufficient training to ensure workers safely unloaded vehicles
- appropriately brief visiting drivers on their role in this activity
Sentence
ERIKS Industrial Services Limited admitted breaking the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
It was fined £373,000 and ordered to pay costs of £8,333.
The HSE said the incident could have been avoided if the company had:
- developed a more detailed risk assessment
- introduced a fully considered safe system of work
Removing the visiting driver’s keys until the procedure was safely completed was one way the incident might have been prevented.
The HSE emphasise employers are responsible for providing sufficient information, instruction and training to everyone involved in workplace transport (including visiting delivery drivers) in order to control the risk of injury.
