Companies warned of forklift dangers after shredding machine incident

Businesses need to ensure that safe systems are in place for lifting loads following a near fatal accident involving a shredding machine, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has said.

In a hearing last week, Secure IT Disposals Ltd was ordered to pay £8,000 after an employee was nearly crushed to death when a company shredding machine fell from a forklift. The firm was found to be in serious breach of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act Section 2(1).

Now the Health and Safety Executive have called on other companies to make sure they do everything they can to prevent similar accidents from occurring in the future. Paul Smith, Inspector for the Health and Safety Executive, said:

"Mr Kelly was very lucky not to have been trapped and crushed by the falling machine.

"This case should be a warning to all companies undertaking non-routine and one-off jobs that time spent thinking about how to do the job safely with the right equipment will ultimately save time and costs, and mostly importantly save lives."

The shredding machine slipped off the fork lift truck in November last year when raised for maintenance works. Mr Kelly needed immediate back surgery and has been unable to work since.

04/09/09