Saint Gobain Building Distribution Ltd owns and operates the site at 226 Dallow Road in Luton and, trading as Gibbs and Dandy, pleaded guilty to offences under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and the Workplace (Health Safety & Welfare) Regulations 1992 at Luton Magistrates Court on 23 February.
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A company lorry driver was badly injured on 23 February 2010 after being struck with the forks of a forklift truck and unable to work for 3 months. The lorry driver was helping a forklift truck operator with the loading of his flat bed lorry and unclipping the sides of his flat bed lorry when he was hit by the vehicle.
An investigation revealed it was common for lorry drivers to help forklift truck drivers with the positioning of their loads and walk in areas where forklift trucks manoeuvred and reversed; this placed them at greater risk of being struck by moving vehicles.
Simple measures would have prevented the accident such as:
- agreeing the positioning of loads before loading so the lorry drivers were a safe distance away
- creating work zones by using cones to ensure pedestrians were a safe distance away
- having clear markings or signage to prevent anyone entering dangerous areas while forklifts were operating
- effective monitoring and supervision.
Saint Gobain Building Distribution Ltd pleaded guilty to all the offences and was fined £10,000 for failing to comply with the Act. The Magistrates also awarded £2,500 in costs to the Council and imposed a victim surcharge of £15.
Cllr Mohammed Ashraf, portfolio holder for Public Health, said: “This was not a company without regard for health and safety. This was a company that tried but still left gaps in its procedures where risks had not been properly addressed. The positive thing to come from this incident is that the company has clearly improved health and safety standards since the incident and indicated its intention to make further improvements to keep their workers and any visitors safe.
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