Industry news
Cardiff truck firm fined £20,000
Posted Wed, 12 Jan 2011
A truck and van company has been fined after a young mechanic fractured a hip in a 15ft fall in Newport.
Watts Truck and Van (Cardiff) Ltd admitted breaching health and safety laws after a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation discovered the 21-year-old suffered the injury when he fell from a makeshift platform attached to a forklift truck at Fairwood Truck Centre in Rogerstone.
Newport Magistrates' Court heard how the worker, who does not wish to be named, was standing on the platform while repairing a light at the top of a high-sided vehicle. The platform had been constructed by a colleague from a wire surround, which had been screwed to a wooden pallet and placed on a forklift truck.
The platform had not been securely fixed to the fork lift, so when the worker leant to catch a light bulb thrown up to him by a colleague, it fell, taking him with it.
The father-of-one needed an operation on his hip to repair the damage sustained during the fall in August 2009. He was off work for a month and has had to undergo numerous physiotherapy sessions since. He still suffers continuous pain in his hip and can no longer go running or boxing.
The HSE ruled that the company, which is based in Lydney, Gloucestershire, failed to ensure that work at height by its employees was properly planned, supervised and carried out safely. It was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £3070.70 costs.
Copyright © Press Association 2011
Health and Safety Executive