Pallet Trucks UK urges firms to consider forklift safety after tragic deaths result in massive fines

Pallet Trucks UK urges firms to consider forklift safety after tragic deaths result in massive fines

Pallet Trucks UK has urged firms using forklift drivers to ensure the safety of their workers, after two businesses were recently fined hundreds of thousands of pounds for the heart-breaking deaths of two of their employees.

Derbyshire-based firm Vinyl Compound Ltd was fined £450,000 earlier this month after 19-year old forklift driver Ben Pallier-Singleton was tragically crushed to death in 2015.

A £300,000 fine was also levelled at Vacu-Lug Traction Tyres Ltd in Grantham this month after forklift driver Stephen Woollas was killed October 2014, leaving behind a daughter.

Phil Chesworth, Managing Director of Pallet Trucks UK, said: “The fact that the deaths of these two employees could have been avoided by enforcing proper safety regulations makes them even more terrible for everyone involved, and should serve as a reminder to all firms using forklifts to enforce proper safety procedures.

“A young man with his life ahead of him and a father with a child has died because of a lack of care to worker safety. These enormous fines, £450,000 and £300,000 respectively, will have a detrimental effect on the two companies; I urge any business using a forklift or who buys our forklift products to consider their procedures and training.”

19-year old Singleton was found to have not been wearing a seatbelt at the time of his death, hadn’t been told about the on-site speed limits and hadn’t been trained properly to use a forklift.

Mr Woollas died because the requirement for him to reverse his forklift in wasn’t enforced, and as a result of this he drove over a tyre which toppled his forklift and crushed him to death.

Phil added: “Aside from procedure and training, it’s also vital that drivers are equipped with the right length of fork extensions for the job; lifting a load weighing multiple tonnes with forks that are too short could also result in the vehicle and the load toppling over.”

Pallet Trucks UK offers a wide variety of forklift truck extensions in different lengths to ensure a safe lift for the forklift driver and those working in the vicinity. All forklift extensions purchased through Pallet Trucks UK are made with high-grade, hardwearing materials that further guarantee worker safety.

In addition to forklift extensions, Pallet Trucks UK also stocks a huge array of pallet trucks, stackers, lift tables, sack trucks and a host of materials handling equipment available at affordable prices.

For more information about Pallet Trucks UK, please visit https://www.pallettrucksuk.co.uk/ or call 0845 519 2700.