Mansfield-based SDC Trailers Ltd. was fined £3,300 and SDC Parts and Services Ltd. was fined £2,600, and both were ordered to pay costs of £1,824.60 at Mansfield Magistrates Court onApril 8 after pleading guilty to violating HSE regulations.
SDC Parts and Services Ltd. violated Regulation 3(1)a of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 by failing to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to the health and safety of their employees in relation to the unloading of trailers containing truck tires and wheel and tire assemblies. SDC Trailers Ltd. violated Regulation 10 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 by failing to prevent tires loaded on a curtain-sided trailer from falling, causing injury to an employee.
On June 4, 2007, an employee of SDC Parts and Services Ltd. was injured while unloading a consignment of truck wheel and tire assemblies from a curtain-sided trailer. The trailer had been loaded by SDC Trailers Ltd. at their factory in Northern Ireland. The partss were being manually palletized when one fell from a stack and fractured the employee’s knee.
On July 10, 2007, another employee of SDC Parts and Services Ltd. received crushing injuries when preparing to unload truck tires from a curtain-sided trailer, also loaded by SDC Trailers Ltd. As he released the curtain, an unsecured stack of tires fell from the trailer, pinning him against an adjacent vehicle and causing crush injuries.
“The unloading of trailers in which loads have not been properly secured places those involved at considerable risk,” said Prosecuting HSE Inspector Maureen Kingman. “The outcome of these incidents – the injuries and the subsequent fine – reminds us that the results can be serious for people and for businesses that fail to comply with their health and safety duties."
The second phase of the Shattered Lives campaign was launched earlier this month to highlight the devastating consequences of slips, trips and falls in the workplace and to encourage employers, in consultation with their employees, to take action to reduce these incidents.
HSE produces a wide range of guidance to assist companies carrying out work at height generally and for safe working on lifts more specifically. These assist companies carrying out such work and identify appropriate control measures to prevent potential injuries. More information on working at heights or on hazards in maintenance.