HSE Urges Employers to Streamline Vehicle Circulation
The HSE has issued a warning to employers asking them to ensure streamlined vehicular movement in the workplace as well as to maintain good surfaces for such vehicular traffic.
The HSE came up with the advice after Dairy Farmers of Britain Ltd was fined £10,000 and payment of £2,916 towards costs was ordered at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court recently. This came after they pleaded guilty of contravening Regulation 12(1) and 17(1) of the Workplace Regulations 1992.
The incident took place on June 18, 2008 when a collision on site, between a ride-on pallet truck and a forklift truck left the ride-on pallet truck driver injured.
Mr John Reader who was injured in the accident suffered multiple fractures to his lower right leg. He was immediately taken to
Investigations revealed that the traffic routes in the workplace were not organised to facilitate safe movement of pedestrians and vehicles.
The investigation also revealed that the floor surfaces on the traffic routes were not good enough to drive on although this was not a cause for the accident. It was found that several areas were damaged and the floor was constantly wet and slippery which made movement of both vehicles and pedestrians difficult.
An HSE inspector Mr Scott Wynne remarked that the accident could have been avoided if the company had taken measures to streamline their workplace to ensure safe operation of their vehicles in a set area. He also said that it is important for all companies to assess the heath and safety risks associated in their work place where pedestrians and vehicles move around at work close to each other. Appropriate safety steps must be taken as are prescribed under the HSE guidance - click on risk assessment training to ensure your organisation meets its basic commitments to providing a safe work environment for your staff.
