Forklift Truck Accident Legal Advice
Posted on 8th January 2021 at 18:17
There are plenty of workplace and personal factors that influence the likelihood of an accident involving a forklift truck. These include:
You might have a driver who is not properly trained to operate the vehicle in the first place.
The company where the truck is being used might not have the right safety procedures in place.
You could be working in a factory where there is a lot of stress for you to work faster and achieve ambitious targets that impacts on safety.
You might have the wrong accessories for the truck or you could simply use the wrong forklift for the job at hand.
Forklift trucks can be poorly maintained or too old to be safe in the workplace.
There can be behavioural issues such as travelling too fast, communicating badly when sharing a task, allowing people to ride on the forklift and even, in some cases, fooling about with the vehicle.
Local design can also make a big difference: If you are driving down too narrow alleys or the aisle is cluttered, there’s too much work going on in a particular area, or you travel from one surface to another, these can all have an impact on operational safety and increase the possibility of an accident occurring.
Finally, poor loads can certainly be a hazard, for instance, if you have pallets badly stacked or the load is far too heavy for the truck. Most of these problems, however, are caused by poor policy or behavioural issues that can quite easily be avoided.
There are several things that can be done to ensure safety when operating machinery like this. You can arrange for forklifts and pedestrians to be separated or at least restrict the number of people that can operate in a particular area. You can carry out regular maintenance on your trucks and ensure that drivers are properly trained and their performance monitored. There are even simple things like wearing the right high visibility clothing and protective wear that increase safety and reduce the potential for accidents.
Fork lift truck accidents are more common than you might think and the Health and Safety Executive has outlined the need for better training. It’s not unusual for management where forklift trucks are used to have little or no formal training, especially on how to keep everyone safe and look out for potential hazards. According to the statistics, there were some 2,000 accidents involving forklift trucks in 2015 and these accounted for about a quarter of all accidents in areas where they are used as part of the transportation system.
Of course, employers and business owners have a duty of care to create a safe environment for people to work in, whether that’s in a warehouse or on a construction site where forklift trucks are often used. If they fail to do this and an accident occurs they can be held liable for compensation.
If you have been involved in a forklift accident and have suffered an injury, it’s important that you get the right legal advice as soon as possible. At DSM Legal Solicitors, we have a strong, experienced team on hand who will be able to listen to your case and talk you through the possibility of making a claim for compensation.
Solicitors in Warrington, Cheshire
Contact our friendly team of solicitors today on 01925 937070 for a free initial consultation.
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