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Worker fatally injured in falling from a scissor-lift platform which collided with another vehicle

What happened?

The UK HSE reports that a company has been fined after a worker suffered fatal injuries. The worker was operating a scissor-lift working platform when this was struck by a Long Goods Vehicle (LGV), causing him to be ejected onto a roadway from a height of 1.5 metres.

What went wrong? What were the causes?

An investigation by the UK HSE found:

  • The company had failed to plan and organise work at height in a manner that ensured the safety of their workers;
  • The work at height should have been organised to segregate activity in space and/or time from adjacent workplace transport operations.

The HSE inspector commented: “This was a tragic and wholly avoidable incident, caused by the failure of the company to implement and monitor safe systems of work. The company did not undertake the simple safety measure of segregating those working at height from adjacent workplace transport operations, in line with widely available industry guidance.”

The full press release can be found on the HSE website.

Safety Event

Published: 2 March 2018
Download: IMCA SF 05/18

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