A vehicle servicing company has been fined after an employee at one of their depots was crushed by a truck, leading to serious injury.
The court heard that on 7 June 2016 an employee of the company was testing the brakes of a low-loader truck unit and trailer at the depot. He had raised the trailer off the ground using a pit jack. He did not apply the truck handbrake or use any wheel chocks to prevent the vehicle rolling. Whilst adjusting the brakes at the first axle, the truck unit rolled forward causing the jack to slip off the axle of the trailer, roll towards him and strike him on the body, crushing him against a set of steps in the pit and fracturing his spine.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company had failed to provide a sufficient number of wheel chocks for use by its employees and failed to provide information, instruction, supervision and training of its employees in their use. The company also failed to provide a suitable induction of the employee in safe working practices.
The company pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 and Section 33(1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and was fined £13,333.33.
Speaking after the hearing the HSE Inspector said: “Those in control of work have a responsibility to devise safe methods of working and to provide the necessary information, instruction and training to their workers in the safe system of working.”
“If a suitable safe system of work had been in place prior to the incident, the life changing injuries sustained by the employee could have been prevented.”