Employers Urged to Verify Qualifications and Experience after Forklift Accident
After a recent court judgement in the case of a workplace accident caused by a forklift truck driver who had furnished forged documents to support his qualifications, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has asked employers to verify the credentials of workers thoroughly before employing them.
Damon Alex McLachlan, a telehandler operator, was prosecuted before
The incident leading to the suit took place in October 2007, when McLachlan was operating telehandling machinery at a house construction site in Livingston,
However, he forgot to deploy stabilisers, which resulted in the machine dropping three tonnes of load on a banksman standing next to the truck and crushing him.
An investigation into the accident found that McLachlan was recruited recently and that the documents of training and experience furnished by him were partly forged. According to HSE Inspector Bruce Monaghan, the accident was not only foreseeable but also avoidable, if McLachlan had adhered to proper machine-handling procedures. Monaghan pointed out that the failure in using the stabilisers was a grave omission on the part of the worker, especially when the banksman was standing so close.
Monaghan added that employers making use of forklift trucks should be quite diligent and careful in ensuring that persons employed for operating the trucks are well qualified and experienced. He added that companies should also be prepared to handle cases of fraudulent documents being furnished by unscrupulous individuals and ensure that such people are not employed.
For anyone involved in major building, maintenance or refurbishment work compliance with Construction (Design and Management) Regulations is compulsory. Click CDMC for assistance in the necessary training to ensure organisations are aware of their health and safety obligations and remain compliant with CDM Regulations.
