Home / Crime and Justice / Driver crushed by 1.2-tonne crate: Firm fined £230k
Driver crushed by 1.2-tonne crate: Firm fined £230k
16 Sep
Summary
- A delivery driver suffered life-changing injuries from a falling 1.2-tonne crate.
- Smith & Nephew was fined £230,000 for health and safety failures.
- The incident occurred due to poorly planned and unsupervised unloading.
A significant safety breach resulted in severe injuries for a delivery driver when a substantial 1.2-tonne crate toppled from a forklift. The incident occurred at Smith & Nephew, leading to the company being fined £230,000 and ordered to pay £111,000 in costs. The driver was delivering an electron microscope for Nippon Express and suffered life-changing injuries.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that the unloading operation had not been adequately planned or supervised. Critically, the driver's position was unsafe, and the load was not lifted correctly, causing the crate to fall. Furthermore, no assessment was made of the forklift's suitability for the specific load.
Smith & Nephew stated they have since reviewed their offloading procedures and collaborated with the HSE to implement best practices across all their sites. The company emphasized that visitor safety is a priority and wished the injured driver well in his recovery. The HSE highlighted that normal delivery arrangements changing due to Covid-19 restrictions did not alter the fundamental safety requirements for third-party visitors.
