Industry news
Man loses leg in forklift collision
Posted Tue, 24 Apr 2012
A man has had his leg amputated after he was hit by a forklift truck.
Cargo Services (UK) Limited was found guilty of breaching safety regulations after lorry driver Robert Deverell was injured at its site in Cardiff Docks. His vehicle was being loaded with 18m steel beams when the incident happened on 18 June 2010.
The forklift truck, owned and operated by Cargo Services, struck Mr Deverell as it reversed and ran over his right leg. Doctors were later forced to amputate the limb below the knee, Cardiff Crown Court heard.
Mr Deverell, from Risca in Caerphilly, also suffered a fractured wrist. He has been unable to return to work at Dyfed Steels Ltd in Llanelli, the court was told.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the forklift truck had a defective reversing alarm and horn. Records showed that the horn had been faulty for around four years. The HSE also found that there were insufficient segregation procedures at the site to prevent visiting drivers from being too near forklift trucks.
Cargo Services (UK) Limited of Cold Stores Road, Queen Alexandra Dock, Cardiff, was charged with breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. Following the guilty verdict, the company was fined £110,000 and ordered to pay costs of £60,246.18.
Copyright Press Association 2012