The UK’s largest manufacturer and supplier of fitted kitchens has been fined £1.2m over the fatal crushing of a delivery driver in Cumbria. Howdens has more than 650 depots in the UK | Image credit: ©Jim Barton (cc-by-sa/2.0) Howdens Joinery was prosecuted at Carlisle Crown Court after it pleaded guilty to breaching ss 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act. It must also pay costs of almost £34,000. The court was told that Richard Brown had been delivering kitchen worktops to the company’s premises at Clay Flatts industrial estate in Workington when the accident happened in
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How To Tell If Your Forklift Is Worn Out
Your business relies on the safe and reliable operation of your forklifts, so it essential that regular inspections are carried out to ensure they are not too worn out. A forklift which is regularly maintained will last a long time, but, eventually, all machines reach a point when they need to be replaced. This article will help you both spot the signs of wear and advise you how to prolong your machines life. The forks. The actual forks of the machine should be measured regularly to ensure that wear does not exceed 10% of the nominal thickness. A 10% wear to
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Emissions fraud: over 100 operators under investigation
More than 100 lorry operators caught deliberately damaging air quality Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) examiners found 293 lorries fitted with emissions cheat devices at roadside checks between August and November 2017. Published 12 January 2018 From: Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and Traffic Commissioners for Great Britain In August 2017, DVSA started to include checks for emissions cheat devices in roadside checks of lorries at 5 locations across Great Britain. By the end of November 2017, DVSA examiners had searched 3,735 lorries at these locations and found 293 lorries with a cheat device fitted. The drivers and operators were
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Learner drivers will be allowed on motorways from 2018
Learner drivers will be allowed to take motorway driving lessons with an approved driving instructor in a car with dual controls from 2018. Published 12 August 2017 From: Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Allowing learner drivers to have lessons on motorways will help to make sure more drivers know how to use motorways safely. At the moment, you can only have driving lessons on motorways after you’ve passed your driving test. Some newly-qualified drivers take lessons through the voluntary Pass Plus scheme. How the change will work The change will apply to England, Scotland and Wales. Learner drivers will need to
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Prep your forklifts, winter is coming!
The days are getting shorter and the weather is getting colder: it’s clear that winter is right around the corner. This also affects the working conditions and the equipment used inside and especially outside of your warehouse. But how can you continue your operations safely? We have gathered some tips & tricks that will get you and your forklifts and drivers through this winter. Safety first When working outside of your warehouse, check the weather to avoid any unpleasant surprises and prepare accordingly. Is it freezing? Has it snowed overnight? Just in case, when driving a forklift, be careful and
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THOROUGH EXAMINATIONS – Mandatory Checks for Forklifts
What is a Thorough Examination? Thorough Examination for fork lift trucks is roughly equivalent to the MOT for cars – a mandatory check to ensure that the mechanical parts of your fork lift are in safe working order. It is not the same as regular maintenance – so you need one whether or not you’ve just had the truck serviced. Here is how the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) defines Thorough Examination: “Thorough examination of industrial lift trucks is required under health and safety law: LOLER 1998, which covers lifting equipment, and PUWER 1998, which deals with all other safety-related
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Examiner Industrial Action starts today – updates and advice
As reported last week driving examiners will commence industrial action today (with work to rule) and are still committed to striking on 4th and 5th December – as the new driving test launches. Members of the Public and Commercial Service union (PCS) are taking action, ostensibly in opposition to the changes to the driving test, but primarily due to their wider grievances over contracts. The Union said examiners were being told to work longer, harder and for no extra pay when the new tests are introduced. DVSA argues PCS are using the new Driving Test merely as a battering ram
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DRIVING EXAMINER STRIKE – 4 & 5 DECEMBER 2017
Some driving examiners are planning to take strike action on Monday 4 December and Tuesday 5 December 2017. Some driving examiners who are members of the Public and Commercial Service (PCS) union are planning to take strike action on Monday 4 December and Tuesday 5 December 2017. You can either: change your test appointment to a later date turn up for your test as planned, but your examiner might be unavailable Not all driving examiners are union members, and even if they are, they might choose not to go on strike. The way the car driving test works is changing on
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Foot Crushing Incident Caused by Inadequate Training
A firm has been fined after inadequate planning led to a worker’s foot being crushed, resulting in the amputation of three toes. On 15th December 2016, Nicholas Jenkin, an employee of Swadlincote Aluminium and Welding Co Ltd, was painting several metal truck wash grids when one of the metal grids, which weighed a tonne, fell through the forks of a lift truck, landing on his foot, crushing it. Following the incident, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), found that Swadlincote Aluminium and Welding Co Ltd had failed to sufficiently plan the task and the lift truck driver had not received
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INADEQUATE FORKLIFT CHECKS COMPROMISE SAFETY
This a recent article by the RTITB’s Nick Welch which explains the importance of pre use checks for forklift trucks. “Every forklift truck operation should begin with a pre-use inspection. However, these checks are often conducted incorrectly, or overlooked completely,” says Nick Welch, Technical Director for RTITB, the leading workplace transport training accrediting body.“This poses a serious safety risk both to lift truck operators and others around them.” Research carried out by RTITB in 2016 showed that 65% of forklift operators didn’t know how to correctly conduct the driving and braking pre-use check, 49% did not know how to check
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