Recent prosecutions – businesses fined after driver fractures neck

Two companies received five-figure fines for safety offences that led to an HGV driver fracturing one of his neck vertebrae. The delivery driver was struck by falling pallets as a forklift operator unloaded them from an HGV trailer.

The driver's employer was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay £4,806.60 in costs. Meanwhile, the owner of the site where the injury occurred was hit with a £50,000 fine, plus £4,654.90 in costs.

The HSE inspector noted: 'This incident could so easily have been avoided by implementing the simple control measure of keeping the delivery driver out of the area where the FLT was operating.'

Transport best practice for your builders merchant

HSE stats reveal 5,000 incidents involving transport in the workplace every year. About 50 of these are fatal. Best practice solutions include:

• Creating a safe system of work for deliveries with detailed procedures for visiting drivers
• Designating and clearly marking parking, loading and pedestrian areas
• Marking out a safe space for delivery drivers to wait while vehicles are unloaded
• Implementing a system for directing traffic flow to segregate pedestrians
• Training employees on traffic management procedures
• Implementing and enforcing a strict speed limit within your branch