HSE Concerned Over Workplace Traffic Guidelines Violation
HSE recently issued a warning to employers to adhere to traffic safety guidelines or they will have to cough up penalties as it happened with Dairy Farmers of Britain Ltd. The advice came after an incident in which Dairy Farmers of Britain Ltd was found guilty of violating Regulation 12(1) and 17(1) of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. They were fined £10,000 and asked to pay costs of £2,916 at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court this week.
John Reader, a ride-on pallet truck driver suffered multiple fractures and had to be admitted for treatment at Lincoln County Hospital on June 18, 2008. His vehicle had collided with a forklift truck. The inquiries that followed revealed that there was no clear demarcation of the way vehicles and pedestrians should move in the work place. The bad conditions of the surface also came to light in the investigation even though it didn’t play a major part in the accident. The surface was wet most of the times and therefore slippery for pedestrians and vehicles to move on.
Due to the findings of the investigations, Scott Wynne, HSE Inspector, issued a statement saying that the employers must take into the account the health and safety risk that workers face while moving around in their working area. They also must ensure proper working conditions as far as movement of both pedestrians and vehicles was concerned. He stressed upon adhering strictly to HSE guidelines, which clearly define all these safety precautions. T
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