A logistics company has been fined £270,000 after two employees were injured in two separate forklift truck accidents that took place in October 2014. The company involved is Rudolph & Hellmann Automotive, and they have been ordered to pay the fines and costs after one worker had his foot crushed when he was hit by a forklift truck; and on the following day, another worker was pinned beneath a large metal box which fell from a forklift truck, whilst he was walking along a marked pedestrian walkway. The worker endured serious injuries that included internal bleeding, a fractured pelvis and punctured lungs.
After an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) it was discovered that forklift truck operators and their supervisors had not received correct training and the risk assessments that had been carried out were below standard. Vehicles and pedestrians had also not been separated accordingly.
The company pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and was fined £265,000, and had to pay £14,943 in costs earlier this month.
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