14th October 2014
The importance of Health and Safety Training demonstrated by a case reported on the HSE Website (9th May 2014)
Yet another case confirming the importance of Health and Safety Training, the HSE report: A forklift truck operator has been prosecuted for safety failings after a teenager was seriously injured by a falling heater unit weighing almost half-a-tonne during a dangerous lifting operation in Kent.
The 18-year-old worker required reconstructive surgery after sustaining multiple fractures of his right shoulder, left shin bone and left ankle in the incident in Maidstone on 25 June 2013. He was crushed by a large unit weighing some 493kg after being asked to hold it in place on the forks of a truck driven by Stephen Bellingham.
Mr Bellingham, 49, from Larkfield, appeared in court after an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found he had taken it upon himself to move the heater in an inherently unsafe manner. The court was told that had the lift been properly planned and managed, an alternative, safer method could have been found. Stephen Bellingham, of Brooklands Road, Larkfield, was fined a nominal £270 after pleading guilty to a single breach of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
This case is one of many and demonstrates that if suitable health and safety and fork lift training been provided then this incident might have been avoided.
If you are a safety manager, a director or have responsiblity under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 to ensure that your employees are provided with suitable training, information, instruction and supervision, then contact Guardian Angels Training for a free apprasal of your Health and Safety training needs.
We offer over 100 specific health and safety training courses, from beginner (Level 1) to advanced (Level 4) in subjects such as Health and Safety, Manual Handling, Fire, Risk Assessments, COSHH, Abrasive Wheel, Confined Spaces, and many more.
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