Recent prosecutions – worker dies after fall from shipping container

A Gateshead transport and haulage company was fined £200,000 and ordered to pay costs of £15,322 following a fatal fall from height incident. An employee was working inside an open-topped transport shipping container on the back of a large goods road vehicle. While unloading goods, the worker fell approximately 1.5 metres from the rear of the container and died as a result of his injuries.

An HSE investigation found that the company had general risk assessments in place. However, the regulator highlighted the absence of a suitable risk assessment for the specific work activity and failure to implement simple controls to prevent a fall from the container.

Preventing falls from height in your yard

Work at height is the biggest workplace killer, accounting for 25% of all fatal injuries recorded in the UK during 2019/20. Within a merchant environment, always ensure a suitable and sufficient work at height risk assessment has taken place focusing on preventing work from height altogether.

Your risk assessment should also ensure workers:

• can get safely to and from where they work at height
• are not overloaded or overreaching when working at height
• are protected from falling objects
• take precautions when working on or near fragile surfaces
• are trained on equipment use and understand emergency evacuation and rescue procedures