The employers using vehicles like forklift trucks and plying them in the same area as pedestrians have a lot to learn from the recent verdict of Lincoln Magistrates’ Court against Dairy Farmers of Britain Ltd who were fined £10,000 and directed to pay £2,916 towards costs. T

he facts of the case involve an accident of a driver, when a ride-on pallet truck and a forklift truck collided at the work site of the defendant. This caused multiple fractures to the driver’s lower right leg, who had to be rushed to Lincoln County Hospital for treatment.

The investigations into the issue disclosed that the circulation of vehicle and pedestrian traffic on the site was not done in an orderly fashion. They also found that the driving surfaces were ill-maintained and were damaged. Being wet all the time, the floors became slippery too.

The company had pleaded guilty to the charges of breach of Regulations 12(1) and 17(1) of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations, 1992. Scott Wynne, HSE Inspector said that the accident was avoidable but for the negligence of the employers in maintaining the surfaces and circulation in order. He also suggested that all the companies plying vehicles in workplaces must conduct a risk assessment and enforce appropriate safety norms according to the HSE procedures.

Following the verdict, HSE has issued a warning to the employers that they should ensure that the vehicles are circulated in a manner that does not pose risk to the pedestrians. The employers have also been encouraged to follow the safety guidelines issued by HSE in keeping with the regulations.

The NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Safety and Health is a qualification designed to help those with health and safety responsibilities, for example, managers, supervisors and employee representatives, to carry out their duties at work more effectively and to protect the organisations for which they work.