A metal galvanising company in Forfar has been prosecuted after an agency worker suffered severe leg injuries when a 500-kilogram A-frame fell onto him from a forklift truck.
19-year-old Robert Ramsey from Dundee had been working at a premises owned by Forfar Galvanisers Ltd for four months when the incident occurred in November 2013.
Forfar Sheriff Court heard yesterday (12th March) how the agency worker had been assisting colleagues with moving the large A-frame on to the forks of a forklift trucks and it was raining at the time. The A-frame was turned and being moved into the desired position and Mr Ramsey and his colleague were on opposite sides of the structure to steady it.
The A-frame, however, wasn’t secured to the forks and so it began to slip. The driver of the forklift shouted repeatedly to raise the alarm, but although his colleague moved out of the way, Mr Ramsey grabbed hold of the A-frame to steady it. It continued to slip and fell onto him.
Mr Ramsey suffered a number of serious injuries to his legs including several bruised bones, trapped nerves, muscle and tissue damage, severe swelling and external bruising. He needed to take several months off work after the incident and could only walk short distances. He has since made a full recovery.
An investigation was launched by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which revealed that Forfar Galvanisers Ltd didn’t have a safe system of work in place for the task. The firm was fined £7,000 after it pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE Principal Inspector Niall Miller said: “Forfar Galvanisers Ltd’s failure to act to make sure its employees and agency workers were adequately protected during such movement operations, has led to serious injuries for Mr Ramsey, which could have been so easily prevented.
“The issues with unsecured loads on forklift trucks are well-known in all relevant industries. It was entirely foreseeable that loads which are unsecured will become unstable when they are moved and that metal will become slippery if wet, especially when placed on another wet metal object.
“Around a quarter of all workplace transport incidents involve forklift trucks, with 50 per cent of these happening because someone is hit either by the vehicle or a falling load.
“It was clear there was a risk of death or serious injury if the A-frame fell from the forklift truck, particularly as the company was aware of previous incidents of loads falling. Had the company acted on this and the advice of HSE, Mr Ramsey would not have been injured.”