The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted a Gateshead construction company, after an untrained forklift driver was seriously injured when the forklift telehandler he was operating overturned.

In July 2008, 39-year-old Tom Lincoln from Dudley in Northumberland was working for Meldrum Construction Services Ltd at its site in Sandhoe, near Corbridge, Northumberland,

Mr Lincoln was lifting roof trusses onto the roof of the development when the accident occurred. The forklift telehandler fell onto its side and threw Mr Lincoln against the machine’s window and controls.

Mr Lincoln had not been trained to use the machine and was not wearing a seat belt when the incident happened. He suffered multiple fractures to his right arm.

The accident has left him with limited mobility in his shoulder and he is still receiving medical treatment and is unable to return to work.

On Thursday (07/01/2010) at Tynedale Magistrates’ Court, Meldrum Construction Services Ltd – based at Durham Road in Birtley – pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was fined £4,500 and ordered to pay costs of £2,342.20 and a victim surcharge of £15.

After the hearing, HSE construction inspector John McGill said that Meldrum Construction Services Ltd had failed to ensure that Mr Lincoln had the necessary training to use the forklift vehicle. He added that the company had failed to ensure that unauthorised personnel did not have access to specialist machinery on site – and as a result of this Mr Lincoln had been seriously injured.

Mr McGill also said that, although the company had produced a risk assessment and a system of work for lifting the roof trusses, neither had been ‘sufficient’ and had failed to identify the dangers that employees would face on site.

‘This incident demonstrates how important it is for construction companies to effectively manage health and safety at all levels within the business,’ said Mr McGill.

The HSE said that, after the accident, Meldrum Construction had changed its working procedures to make sure that only trained staff were able to access and operate machinery on its sites.

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