Stationery firm fined following work accident
A Bristol-based stationery supply firm has been fined following
a workplace accident in which an employee was seriously
injured.
The 30-year-old man was employed by Business Forms Express in
Temple Cloud - which supplies commercial stationery products - and
was unloading a consignment of paper reels when the accident
occurred in April.
The employee was covering the absence of the regular storeman
and overseeing deliveries onto a raised loading bay. As the dock
leveller flap – which fills in the gap between the truck and the
loading bay – was out of order, the worker attempted to hold up a
flap to bridge the gap manually.
However, once the truck began reversing, the worker became
trapped, fracturing his arm and collarbone as a result.
The subsequent investigation by the Health and Safety Executive
(HSE) discovered that the dock leveller flap had not been in
working order for ten years.
Dominic Goacher, HSE Inspector, said, "It is astonishing that
this company allowed its workers to use equipment which had been
broken for so long.
"To compound matters, the regular storeman had been forced to
develop a way of working using the faulty equipment, but this was
not passed on. This case demonstrates what can happen when simple
safety procedures are ignored," he added.
Business Forms Express pleaded guilty to breaching three health
and safety regulations at Bath Magistrates Court and was fined
£1,500 for each breach, plus £2,626 in costs. The firm was also
ordered to pay £500 in compensation to the victim.