Forklift Truck Accidents

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Forklift Truck Accidents

In the U.K., around 10 people are killed in forklift truck accidents every year and many thousands injured (a figure that is far bigger than the number of workplace accidents caused by other vehicles). This is particularly shocking when you consider that most forklift accidents could and should have been prevented by employers.

If you have had an accident involving a forklift truck, you may be entitled to make a personal injury compensation claim against your employer.

Working with Forklift Trucks

According to The Fork Lift Truck Association, the biggest danger posed by forklift trucks is when they are used close to other workers. It is very easy for a forklift truck driver to accidentally run over another employee when they are concentrating on carrying a load or have reduced visibility. Safety measures should be in place to keep forklift truck drivers and other employees completely apart.

To make a claim call our Free Helpline on:

0800 145 5105 | 01782 416 016

The most common accidents involving Forklift Trucks are:

• Loads falling off a forklift and landing on someone.
• The forklift itself landing on someone.
• A forklift pinning somebody between the truck and an object, floor or wall.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have found that many forklift accidents are caused by poor supervision and/or a lack of training. Other causes of forklift accidents include obstacles, an uneven floor and an inadequate work environment.

Measures that can be taken to protect forklift drivers, other employees and members of the public from Forklift Truck accidents include:

• Ensuring forklift trucks are regularly maintained and inspected.
• Using the right type of forklift truck for the job.
• Ensuring that the workplace is adequate for a forklift truck.
• Identifying potential risks and acting on them.
• Keeping forklift trucks away from pedestrians.

If you are injured in a forklift truck accident because your employer has not carried out these precautions, you have a chance of claiming personal injury compensation because your employer could be seen to be negligent and liable for your accident.

Making a Forklift Truck Accident Compensation Claim

If you have been injured in a forklift truck accident, you could be entitled to make an accident claim against your employer.

To discover what personal injury compensation you may be entitled to, contact us today on 0800 145 5105 or e-mail info@attwoodsolicitors.co.uk

For advice and support on Forklift Truck Accidents:

Forklift Truck Accidents – Latest News

Please feel free to browse through some of the news stories below relating to forklift truck accidents:

Lancashire Telegraph (5th December 2012) – A bottling firm in Chorley has been fined £14,000 and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £6,657 after a worker was injured whilst being lifted on the prongs of a forklift truck.

This is Somerset (4th December 2012) – A “prehistoric” forklift truck which toppled over crushing its driver had no effective brakes according to the driver’s son during an inquest into his death.

This is Somerset (4th December 2012) – A forklift truck that toppled over and crushed its driver, inflicting serious injuries which led to his death, had no effective brakes, his son told an inquest.

St Helens Reporter (28th November 2012) – A St Helens firm is set to be hit with a huge fine after a 25 year old engineer was crushed to death as a half-tonne pressing machine fell from a moving forklift truck in December 2009.

This is Gloucestershire (21st November 2012) – A 64 year old man died in hospital almost two weeks after being crushed by an industrial-sized forklift.

Food Manufacture (18th September 2012) – Walkers Snack Foods have been ordered to pay £30,000 after a 400kg block of compacted snack waste smashed into a worker; breaking his leg.

The Telegraph (23rd August 2012) – A Heathrow airport Forklift Truck Driver has been fined £150 for slicing through the tail of an SAS Airbus 321, with 175 passengers on board, as it prepared to fly to Copenhagen on June 12.

New South Wales (26th June 2012) – A 40 year old man was crushed to death by his forklift in front of workers in Sydney this morning.

The Press (14th June 2012) – A 30 year old driver was crushed by a generator being unloaded, last September, by a forklift when he was between it and his truck. The firm has been finned $55,000 and ordered to pay reparation of $71,030.

CBC News (12th June 2012) – Police say a forklift truck fell on top of a young man about 9 a.m. and, trapped underneath it, he was pronounced dead by responding paramedics.

This is Total Essex (7th June 2012) – The 52 year old director at Modular Building Systems was helping a colleague move a six-by-two metre fuel tank, that was being carried on a forklift truck, when the tank came crashing down on top of him, trapping his legs.

This is Local London (31st May 2012) – A staff member at Tri Star Packaging Supplies had been pinned between two fork lift trucks in an accident in June 2009, breaking the worker’s leg. Enfield Council health and safety officers investigated and found CCTV of the widespread practice.

Newsletter (28th May 2012) – An employee of 45 was working at a meal mixing plant at a farm when he was killed by a metal bin that fell off a forklift truck and crushed him. The bin had not been secured to the forklift properly.