In 2020, an employee of CF Booth Limited was walking across the site yard in Rotherham when he was struck by a moving 32-tonne skip wagon. The man was not wearing his hi-vis jacket and did not see the wagon approaching.
The wagon driver did not see the employee prior to the collision due to concentrating on manoeuvring the vehicle around some low-level skips which had been placed on the corner near where the employee was crossing the yard.
Following the incident, the man sustained a fractured skull and also fractured his collar bone in two places but has since made a full recovery.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that at the time of the incident the site was not organised in such a way that pedestrians and vehicles could circulate in a safe manner. A suitable and sufficient workplace transport risk assessment was not in place for the segregation of vehicles and pedestrians. The company had failed to take steps to properly assess the risks posed by the movement of vehicles and pedestrians.
The incident could have been prevented by adequately assessing the risks and implementing appropriate control measures such as physical barriers and crossing points.
At Magistrates’ Court on April 25, CF Booth Limited pleaded guilty of breaching Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. They were fined £1.2million and ordered to pay costs of £5,694.85.
Every workplace must be safe for the people and vehicles using it and traffic routes must be suitable for the people and vehicles using them. They should ensure risks are assessed, and take action where it has been identified that control measures are needed.
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