Fines and Costs of £200,000 After Fatality on Farm

A farming business has been ordered to pay more than £200,000 in fines and costs after a farm manager was killed when he was hit by a forklift truck.

The company did not have effective measures in place to allow vehicles and pedestrians to move around the site safely.

The worker was walking from his car across the yard to a potato grading shed when he crossed the path of a forklift being driven by a farm employee. He died at the scene of the incident after being crushed by the vehicle.

Safety consultants had carried out a risk assessment which highlighted the need for pedestrians and vehicles to be segregated, but the firm did not fully implement these findings.

Workers were allowed to park their cars in areas of the site which meant they walked across the path of workplace vehicles when walking to, or from, their cars. Some workers used the same entrance to the grading shed as the forklift truck.

The business was fined a total of £165,000 and ordered to pay £39,500 in costs after pleading guilty to two breaches of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

Lessons Learnt

The safety of pedestrians is required at all work locations. Vehicles and pedestrian routes must be segregated to prevent transport accidents at work.

There are a number of different ways a business can ensure segregation. These include clear marking of the routes to indicate pedestrian or vehicle access, temporary or permanent barriers and clearly signposted crossing points.

A risk assessment on workplace transport will identify the best protective controls that are appropriate for the work location.