Basingstoke firm fined following worker crush incident 25 September 2014

Basingstoke-based RVC Engineering has been fined £6,600 plus £1,087 costs in court following an incident in which a 42-year-old man was crushed between a telehandler and a steel post.

The employee was working at the firm's workshop in West Drayton as a lookout for the vehicle when he suffered life-threatening injuries, resulting in his spleen and most of his pancreas having to be removed.

Westminster Magistrates' Court was told that an impromptu operation had been taking place to enable workers to shunt a broken-down telehandler into the RVC workshop. It was agreed that an HGV would be reversed up to the vehicle to push it the few feet needed.

RVC Engineering admitted a breach of Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

"It was an entirely preventable injury as the manoeuvre could have been conducted without the need for his involvement," said HSE inspector Pete Collingwood.

"Crush injuries are common from reversing vehicles in industry. RVC Engineering should have planned this operation carefully – despite it being of a short duration – and then ensured the whole thing was adequately supervised."

Brian Tnham

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Health & Safety Executive

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