Bottling firm fined £500000 after arm broken by forklift

Liverpool Magistrates Court heard that Encirc, a producer of glass bottles for the drinks industry had failed to take effective measures to ensure its workers were correctly segregated from fork lift trucks.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) was launched after an employee collided with a fork lift truck on Ash Road, Elton, which resulted in him breaking his arm.

The inquiry, following the incident on 14 December 2015, also found that the clarity of segregation was well below the standards expected.

The company had a poor system of work which was not enforced for the workers who were most exposed to the risk.

The court was told that the company had been served with an Improvement Notice (IN) in 2007 for poor segregation in the yard and warehouse areas. There had also been another incident involving an FLT in 2008 when an employee was injured.

Encirc Ltd of Enniskillen, Fermanagh pleaded guilty to a breach of Regulation 17 of The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations and was fined £500,000 with £7,290 costs.

HSE inspector Jane Carrol said: “Poor segregation leads to accidents. There was a failure to properly plan work and this accident highlights the risks that are involved. Incidents relating to work place transport can be avoided if effective measures are taken.”