A delivery driver died when a forklift overturned as he reversed it onto a trailer; the forklift had undergone repairs to the transmission at the plant hire company.
As the driver reversed the forklift onto the trailer, it fell from the side of the trailer bed. Tragically, he was thrown from the seat and became trapped between the chassis of the forklift and a neighbouring trailer suffering fatal crush injuries. Failures in inspection, maintenance, and seatbelt compliance were contributory factors.
KEY FINDINGS
The key findings from the HSE investigation revealed:
- The forklift had not undergone a full safety inspection after the repairs.
- Multiple defects were identified during HSE’s post-incident examination.
- While pre-delivery inspections were performed for new hires, they were not consistently applied to machines returned to existing customers.
- Many operators rarely wore seatbelts and there was no system enforcing their use.
The plant hire company was fined £433,550 for breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act, with additional costs and victim surcharge.
The image below shows the forklift truck involved in this incident.
