Forklift Training

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There are 5 very common ways by which people meet with accidents at the work place:

1. Wet floors

The number one reason for injury in a workplace. Most workplaces tend to have marble flooring, or worse linoleum, which is already quite smooth, without the additional spill. Chances of slipping are compounded by what has spilled – if it’s plain water then it is not so dangerous, but something sticky or slippery will mean a definite slip. An injury sustained like this could easily become serious if someone is carrying something heavy, something sharp or if someone is already injured or pregnant or old. The worst part is that this can so easily be avoided by a quick clean-up or by a simple sign. Even placing a chair or stool in the area could caution people

2. Accidents in Factories

Accidents in factories are mostly caused by either things lying around in places where people will generally walk or because workers will not take proper precautionary measures and wear the protective gear that they are supposed to. Packaging materials lying around, nuts and bolts, parts of machinery jutting out in places where people are bound to be walking fast are sure-shot injury casing factors. Workers being lazy and laidback about safety measures or not having been trained about them are equally responsible.

3. Warehouse Accidents

In a place where there are so many heavy boxes, heavy machinery, lifting and placing, accidents are bound to happen. In a warehouse injuries are more of a repetitive kind – the same parts being stressed over and over again by constant lifting. Workers will also get injured by machinery – fork lifts and cranes. The worse kinds of accidents are when shelves give away, and the items collapse on top of unassuming workers standing underneath

4. Forklift Accidents

Not only are these accidents quite possible, they’re also extremely dangerous. An inexperienced handler can easily endanger the lives of others on the ground, causing items to fall or hurting people with the lift. Also, at times the handler may be experienced but the machine may be faulty. Irregular or lack of maintenance can also cause many accidents

5. Machinery Accidents

These accidents are common across all factories and industries. Any worker working on any machine is at the risk of injury if he isn’t trained; if he is careless and inattentive and if the machine is not maintained well

Europe’s leading body for health and safety professionals, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), has suggested in new research that accidents at work can be reduced significantly by greater investment in safety professionals.

The findings discovered that a culture of safety was prevalent in firms and companies where senior management at all levels had sufficient health and safety training and could lead by example. On the other hand, where line managers lacked the training required, a pattern of slipshod practices and negligence was endemic and led to a greater number of accidents.

The research, which was primarily carried out by Glasgow Caledonian University, discovered that on average, the more qualified in health and safety the line manager in an organisation is, the lower the accident rate.  Representatives opined that this shows that investing in health and safety training has an impact, benefiting employees, and helping to boost productivity by reducing the considerable disruption caused by an incident causing death or injury. They reviewed data from over 100 contractors in the construction industry who collectively employed over 200,000 workers. 

Companies with line managers with higher levels of health and safety training and qualifications have the lowest accident rates.  Those with less than two days training have accident rates more than eight times higher than companies with the most highly trained or qualified line managers. This is especially relevant for the UK where over 200 people are killed each year in accidents at work and over one million are injured.

The research shows the importance of training in the workplace not just at managerial level, where it should be a prerequisite, but also that employees also require training to carry out their jobs.  They need to know about your policies and procedures, what part they play and how they can raise any health and safety concerns with management. Additionally, it will develop a positive health and safety culture, where safe and healthy working becomes second nature to everyone.

In the UK, Norwich Union is recommending more training to prevent transport accidents in the workplace as part of a safety campaign. Forklift trucks were singled out as being particular hazards in the workplace and lack of training, supervision and cooperation between workers and duty holders were leading to more accidents. According to the HSE, forklift trucks were responsible for just under 2,000 reportable incidents in 2006 [the latest figures available], including seven deaths.

Despite the Department of Work and Pensions stating that fatalities have been cut since the 1970’s by two thirds; 250-300 construction site workers are still killed every year and 35 million working days are lost each year to occupational health issues. Showing the number of deaths and injury in the workplace remains at an alarming high number.

The main cause of accidents on construction sites are:

• Scaffolding Accidents

• Lifting equipment failure

• Welding accidents

• Trench Collapses

• Falls from roofs

• Crane Accidents

• Forklift truck accidents

• Electric Shock Injury

• Trench collapses

• Accident caused by fire or explosion

• Road Traffic Accident

• Compressed Gases Accidents

• Falls from ladders

• Unsafe safety harnesses

• Electrocutions

• Accidents from faulty machinery

• Power tool accidents

• Holes in flooring

You are six times more likely to be killed as a construction employee than an employee of any other occupation. Working at a construction site is one of the most dangerous occupations in the UK.

If you are injured on a construction site, you should take action as soon as possible, including:

• Reporting the accident immediately

• Seeking immediate medical treatment on site or go to a hospital or GP as soon as possible

• Obtaining names telephone numbers and addresses of any witnesses

• If possible make sure the accident scene is photographed

• Identify the main/principle contractor/s or subcontractors on the job site responsible your injury

• Do not make written statements or discuss you accident with anyone without first speaking to a qualified personal injury specialist.

There have been 2,800 fatalities in the last 25 years due to building and construction accidents. Employers have to, by law, protect their employees. Most building/construction workers do not realise that it is within their rights to ask supervisors for regular breaks when using heavy duty equipment. If you feel that equipment needs replacing or feel that health and safety hasn’t been properly addressed you should report it to your employer who can take the necessary steps to make the workplace more safe.

If employers fail to enforce health and safety, they can be left liable for compensation claims.

The workplace should be kept in a safe and tidy condition. Suitable workstations and chairs should be provided to employees and floors and corridors should be clean and free from hazards as well as doors and gates, nothing should become an unnecessary obstruction in the workplace that could become a danger to the employees that work there.

All employers are required by law to be provided with any safety wear they require to complete their jobs, such as goggles, hard hats, ear guards, dust masks, safety gloves, safety boots or high-visibility jackets.

Also by law, employees are to be highly trained in whatever task they have to undergo, such as operating a fork lift truck, manually handling heavy objects or operating any form of machinery.

If you are currently working in a construction job you should make sure that your employer has explained health and safety to you and that health and safety is being abided by in your place of work to prevent accidents from happening.

Devon and Cornwall county councils are taking part in a new campaign launched by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to reduce the number of people killed or injured by delivery vehicles in the two counties. Three people died in 2007-08 and 219 people were seriously injured by moving vehicles in their workplace between 2004 and 2008 in the region. To highlight the dangers, the HSE and local authorities are holding safety awareness events for local businesses and are urging lorry drivers to fit reversing aids to vehicles such as CCTV cameras.

A key aspect of transport safety and employers’ legal duties is making sure that sites are safe by keeping vehicles and people apart and segregating them so that both can move around safely. The HSE are encouraging businesses to look at safety measures such as having clearly marked traffic routes, barriers, appropriate crossing points and even speed bumps to control the flow of traffic in confined yards.

The HSE also wants businesses to look very carefully at loading and unloading points. Not only do workers have to dodge the hazards of delivery vehicles in these areas, but they also have to consider the risks presented by fork lift trucks and other problems such as unstable loads in transit. It is here that the majority of these types of accidents take place, often because the workers operating machinery such as fork lift trucks have insufficient safety training or are poorly trained in the operation of these vehicles. The rush to offload delivery vehicles as quickly as possible also tends to lead to ‘corners being cut’ and basic safety protocol being ignored. All of these situations present the opportunity for preventable accidents to happen, and the subsequent compensation claims that result from such injuries.

The HSE is trying to drive home the point that workplaces need clear and easily understood (as well as enforceable) rules and procedures so that everyone working in the vicinity understands exactly what is expected of them. These rules about how vehicles and people move about a confined area move about safely to underpin the physical precautions put in place. The HSE also feels that clear rules need to be put in place as to who exactly can operate machinery such as fork lifts.

It’s not just those offloading delivery vehicles that the HSE is targeting in this campaign. They are also highlighting the dangers to delivery drivers themselves, who, because of the terrain of the region, often find themselves having to manoeuvre large vehicles into very narrow roads and having to attempt difficult reversing procedures. The larger the vehicle, the larger the ‘blindspots’ in the driver’s mirror, and the HSE is trying to highlight the risk of crushing injuries to pedestrians moving around a large reversing vehicle.

And the campaign seems to be working. One large haulage operator in the South West has reported that since they had fitted reversing cameras to their vehicles, the number of traffic collisions that the fleet’s vehicles had been involved in had been cut in half. Not only had it potentially saved lives and reduced injuries, but this one decision to fit cameras had also saved the company a considerable amount of money by reducing insurance premiums, cutting down on compensation claims and reducing the damage to its fleet vehicles.

By highlighting the risks, the HSE and the local authorities have made businesses in the region more aware of the potential hazards faced every day by delivery drivers and personnel. Protecting their safety in what can be a very hazardous environment, where time, profit and a quick ‘turn around’ are of utmost importance, means that businesses can still operate to maximum efficiency without putting their worker’s lives at risk. For that, the HSE is to be applauded and it is hoped that this campaign will gain national recognition over the course of the next few months.

According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), approximately 8,000 people suffer from forklift injuries through accidents at work every year. Recently, a warning had been issued by health and safety experts after a forklift truck broke a supervisor’s leg earlier last week.

The employee had been allowed to drive the truck without adequate training causing an accident where he reversed into his supervisor and broke his leg.

The firm, Line Mark Ltd had been prosecuted for breaching Health and Safety regulations. After the incident, the HSE had issued a safety warning for warehouses using forklift trucks. Safety Inspector, Chris Smith of HSE said: “This prosecution should serve as a warning to all companies to ensure forklift truck drivers are fully trained and have the relevant qualifications. While this was a serious injury, it could have been far worse.” Forklift trucks resulting in deaths Being hit by a forklift truck is the most common cause of death in the workplace. The inspector added that “Forklift trucks are a potential danger to their operators and other people in the vicinity if not operated with great care. They should only be used by fully trained and qualified operatives.

Forklift trucks are particularly dangerous in the workplace and, by law, employers must give employees adequate training to ensure their health and safety. Where possible, employers should also tailor training to the worker’s individual needs. On average, forklift trucks are involved in 24% of all workplace transport accidents. These are often due to poor supervision and a lack of training.”

Last year, Michael Iain Johnson had lost his life to a forklift accident. After having had overcome cancer, Mr Johnson, 44 had suffered from serious head injuries when he leaned out of a forklift truck trapping himself between the vehicle and a hopper.

The HSE had issued a similar warning in 2005 after another man had died whilst assisting with an unloading operation.

The firm had been fined £10,000 for breaching the Health and Safety at Work regulations. In 2005, Health and Safety Executive inspector Richard Clarke said: “This was a tragic accident that could have been prevented had a safe system of work been in place. The container had a specialist mechanism for emptying it, but an improvised method was used when the incident happened.

Employers have a responsibility to ensure that the right equipment is used for the job and to ensure that loads are safely secured. That wasn’t the case in this incident, which sadly led to the loss of a man’s life.”

Other resources:
More resources regarding work accidents involving forklifts and employees not being trained to use equipment properly which results in personal injury or worse view Accidents Direct.

If you have been injured in a scaffolding or fork lift truck accident and it wasn’t your fault, then you could be entitled to make a No Win No Fee compensation claim.

Common types of fork lift truck accidents:

• Employees, customers or pedestrians being hit by forklift trucks.

• Loads falling off the forklift truck.

• Forklift truck over-turning.

• Forklift trucks colliding with goods which as a result fall and injure employees, customers or pedestrians.

Causes of fork lift truck accidents:

• Driver operating error.

• Inadequate maintenance of the forklift truck.

• Unsuitable premises for forklift truck use.

• Lack of training for forklift truck drivers.

• Inadequate supervision of forklift truck drivers and other employees working within the area.

• Others including heavy loads, poorly stacked pallets and obstructions.

Common causes of scaffolding accidents:

Many building and construction workers are injured in scaffolding accidents at work. The most common causes of scaffolding accidents are:

• Missing boards or base plates.

• Planking not being able to support the weight and giving way.

• Planks not being secured adequately and slipping out of place.

• Slipping on planks.

• Being struck by falling objects.

• Scaffolding incorrectly constructed or installed.

• Scaffolding worn out or inadequately maintained.

• Inadequate guard railing or toe boards.

• Inadequate ties.

• Insecure bracing.

• Defective foundations.

• Falls from ladders.

Under the Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996, the employer must ensure the scaffolding is safe to use, is correctly constructed under supervision and is inspected by a competent person.

Will I Lose my Job?

It is understandable that if you are injured at work, then you might be nervous about claiming compensation against you employer. However, in reality it is not legally justifiable for your employer to dismiss you for making a compensation claim.

Your employer has a legal duty to provide a safe environment of work for their employee’s and is required to have insurance cover against such scaffolding accidents. This means that your employer’s insurance company will pay your compensation and not your employer.

You can claim “General Damages” for your injuries, the ‘pain and suffering’ you have sustained as a result of the accident and for the ‘loss of enjoyment of life’ by, for example, not being able to pursue your hobbies.

You may also be able be entitled to claim “Special Damages” for lost earnings, potential loss of future earnings and for any expenses which are necessary to aid your recovery such as prescription costs, nursing care and rehabilitation costs. Please remember, each case is different, and accurate advice must be tailored to the individual case.

Once you have started your claim, your solicitor will be able to give you a more realistic estimate of how much compensation you are likely to receive.

The insurance company of your employer may contact you and offer to settle your case, usually for far less than the amount an experienced solicitor could recover for you. Remember, insurance companies have got solicitors working hard on their side and so should you. Don’t under settle your claim; always find an independent panel of solicitor’s to help you to claim every penny you deserve!