HSE prosecutes worker for forklift death
December 4th 17:48 Health and Safety
The importance of effective facilities management has been highlighted by the fining of a forklift truck driver whose actions contributed to the death of a worker at a haulage firm.
Andre Mason of Sutton in Craven was fined £1,500 and ordered to pay costs of £1,000 after being prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
He pleased guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 following an incident in March 2006, when colleague at Joda Freight of Crosshills Francis Roberts fell from the forklift while using it as access the second level of a two-deck lorry.
HSE inspector Paul Yeadon said that forklifts "pose a serious risk if they are used for anything other than their intended purpose".
He added that the "tragic incident" should be seen as a lesson to employers that use the machinery on a regular basis.
The HSE recently issued a warning regarding gas fitters, after it successfully prosecuted a joiner who had been carrying out work on gas boilers without holding the required certification.
