Incident alert

An employee was struck by a forklift truck while he was helping guide the movement of a slab. The forklift ran over the employee’s foot, resulting in an open fracture to his left leg as well as crush injuries to his foot.

The system of work required two operatives to walk in front of the forklift truck to steady the suspended load. However, during this operation the forklift truck ran over the foot of one of the operatives.

HSE found that the system of work for transporting stone slabs was not safe, as it required the operatives to be in close proximity to the moving forklift truck.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Tom Pouncey said: “Industry practices should be reassessed where other stonemasons may be transporting stone slabs in a similar way. “Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”