A
Greater Manchester company has been fined £20,000 after a worker suffered
life-threatening injuries when he was hit by a 35-tonne forklift truck.
The
60-year-old, from Wirral, suffered organ damage and broken bones in the
incident at Collier Industrial Waste Limited in January 2010.
He
was in hospital for several months and has permanent injuries.
The
firm admitted breaching Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations
1992.
It
was also ordered to pay £9,410 in prosecution costs at Trafford Magistrates'
Court.
'Entirely preventable'
The
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said its investigation found the company did
not have sufficient systems in place to protect workers from reversing vehicles
on the site.
This
could have included having marked walkways, a one-way system or making sure any
reversing vehicles were guided by another worker on the ground.
Speaking
after the hearing, HSE Inspector Daniel Longdon, said: "This was an
entirely preventable incident which could have cost one of Collier's employees
his life.
"There
were several systems the company could have introduced to make sure workers
were not put at risk by moving vehicles. Most of these would have been simple
and inexpensive.
"If
another worker had stood on the ground to guide the forklift truck as it
reserved then this incident could have been avoided."
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