13 March 2009
Sasha Wood

A young warehouse worker has been crushed to death while trying to "doughnut" a forklift truck, which he was not trained to drive.

An inquest at Flax Bourton Coroner's Court heard 22-year-old Rob White had been working for fencing contractors and manufacturers Jacksons Fine Fencing in Chilcompton, North East Somerset for six months when he decided to take a forklift truck for a spin while its driver was talking to a colleague.

A co-worker who witnessed the accident described how White was driving the vehicle at its maximum 15mph speed and attempting to perform stunts by turning it in tight circles. Suddenly the truck lost its balance, and White was briefly thrown to his feet, before the truck teetered and toppled on him.

A witness said, "He did a 180 degree turn and as it toppled I saw Rob fall out of the door and stand upright. It was only a split second before it crashed down on him."

Avon Deputy Coroner Brian Whitehouse said he was impressed by the quick reaction of White's colleagues, but unfortunately by the time they had lifted the heavy machine and timber off him it was too late. White suffered multiple injuries including a broken pelvis and severe internal bleeding. He was airlifted to hospital and pronounced dead upon arrival.

According to Jacksons' health, safety, environment and quality manager Robin Jull, White had been given a copy of the company handbook when he started work, which outlined its policy on forklifts, and had received a health and safety induction.

But the site management had failed to follow safety guidance and formally train him to drive the forklift. His co-workers said it was common for untrained employees to move items across the yard using forklifts to keep production flowing. Jull said many improvements had been made at the site and he was shocked to learn that unauthorised drivers were allowed to operate forklift trucks against company procedures.

The inquest returned a verdict of death by misadventure after it decided White's disregard for company safety procedures and the company's failure to enforce safety regulations contributed to his death.
 
Following advice from the HSE, the company is now following strict safety procedures and only authorised and trained forklift drivers are allowed their own numbered keys to the vehicles.

Categories:
HSE, Training, News, Manufacturing / engineering, Training, Workplace transport



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