Well done to Lucian today for receiving his counterbalance lift truck certificate.

A sudden and surprising increase in the number of farm fatalities in February has prompted farm leaders to call for increased vigilance in and around farmyards. Latest figures there were 10 deaths on farms in the UK in that single month – including one child. That compares with a more “normal” average of about three deaths a month – based on a five-year annual average of 37 fatalities. Last year, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reported 29 fatalities in total, which was a welcome downturn. See also: 2015-16 sees fewer farm deaths In one recent case, a farmer and his dog were killed on a level crossing in Frampton Mansell, Gloucestershire, after his Land Rover was hit by a train travelling at 50mph. Colin Cameron, 60, suffered multiple injuries and died following the incident, on Tuesday (7 February). And last weekend (Saturday, 4 March) a 20-year-old woman was airlifted to hospital and died of her injuries following an accident involving machinery on a farm near Dawlish in Devon. Devon and Cornwall Police and the HSE are currently investigating the incident. MACHINERY DANGERS Accidents involving farm machinery were the cause of the majority of recorded farm deaths in February. NFU vice-president and Farm Safety Partnership chair Guy Smith urged farmers to make safety a priority. “Farmers can protect themselves by planning to keep people separate from tractors and other farm vehicles whenever possible,” he said. “Following the Safe Stop procedure of hand brake on, controls in neutral, engine off and keys out is vital when working on machinery. “Check, check and check again that vehicles are properly maintained. Something as simple as topping up brake fluid or repairing a load indicator light could mean the difference between life and death.” The HSE has published guidance on child safety and on preventing accidents to children. And guidance is also available on tractors and on avoiding overturns. FEBRUARY’S FATALITIES INCLUDED:A farmer killed when unloading cattle from his vehicleA man run over by a telehandlerA worker died when he came into contact with his chainsaw during tree workA farmer was crushed underneath mini tractor and trailer that overturned on steep groundA falling straw bale killed a worker whilst unloadingA man was killed when the farm vehicle he was repairing fell onto himA child was killed when run over by a farm vehicle

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A tyre company has been fined £300,000 following the breach of health and safety regulations which resulted in the death of a forklift operator. In July 2014, operator, Stephen Woollas, was working at the Gonerby Hill Foot site of Vau-Lug Traction Tyres Ltd. Mr Woollas was moving a load of tyres whilst travelling forward, but was unable to see the path ahead of him. Whilst moving forward, the truck tipped over, crushing Mr Woollas underneath it. The investigation found that at the time of the incident, Mr Woollas was not wearing a seatbelt. However, further investigation found that the warning device on the seatbelt, which indicates when an operator is moving off without wearing the seatbelt, had been disabled. The belt had instead been clipped into the latching mechanism, found behind the seat. Other lift trucks on the premises were also found to have the seatbelt warning device disabled. Although the firm has health and safety policies in place which requires operators to wear seatbelts, it was found that these policies were not enforced. It was also found that that no policy had been put in place for operators to drive in reverse only when their view moving forwards was obstructed. Alex Stein, prosecutor on the case, commented: “Mr Woollas was driving a fork lift at the company’s site when the truck tipped on to its side and he was crushed under it. He was driving without a seatbelt carrying a load of tyres. There was a restricted view available to him as he was driving forwards. The requirement to reverse in the forklift truck wasn’t being enforced.” He continued: “The fork lift truck became destabilised and tipped over. The investigator is confident that the destabilising came from riding over a tyre. Because Mr Woollas was driving forward with a stack in front of him he had no chance of seeing anything. As the fork truck fell over, Mr Woollas was trapped. Workers did their very best to free him and an ambulance was called, but tragically he did not survive.” At Lincoln Crown Court, Vacu-Lug Traction Tyres was found guilty of breaching health and safety regulations and fined £300,000, with further prosecution costs of £25,000. Malcolm Galloway from Vacu-Lug commented after the case: “The company accepts, by its plea, that it did not do sufficient. This is not a bad company. It had taken health and safety very, very seriously and was doing its utmost to make sure that its employees worked within a safe environment. This was a company with systems in place to try and be proactive with health and safety. This is not a case of total failure by the company due to disregard and not caring.”

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 items, such as brakes, steering and tyres. Your regular inspections as part of a preventive maintenance scheme or scheduled service are not a thorough examination.” Thorough Examination is required by law, and must take place at regular intervals that depend on the type of truck you’re running… but it will certainly be at least once a year… often more. To find out when your next Thorough Examination is due, click here to use our online calculator. However, NOT all Thorough Examinations are created equal. It is crucial to ensure that your Thorough Examinations comprehensively cover both the lifting and the driving mechanisms of the truck: amazingly, not all of them do. Click here to see all the elements a good Thorough Examination should cover. For peace of mind, it makes sense to get your Thorough Examination from a CFTS-accredited Competent Person. The CFTS seal is your guarantee that your truck will actually be examined carefully, and that key components such as brakes and steering will be checked along with the lifting mechanism. IS YOUR LIFT TRUCK UP TO THE MARK? FOR PEACE OF MIND, INSIST ON SEEING THE DISTINCTIVE CFTS CERTIFICATION MARK ON DOCUMENTS AND TRUCKS THEMSELVES…IT’S YOUR GUARANTEE THAT THE TRUCK – AND THE EXAMINER – ARE UP TO SCRATCH. Only companies that are officially accredited to CFTS are allowed to use the distinctive “Kitemark” on literature, certification and reports – and to place the famous CFTS stickers on the trucks they inspect. You can rest assured that any Report of Thorough Examination bearing the official CFTS mark has been carried out by an experienced, accredited examiner in accordance with stringent standards and quality procedures. Likewise, the CFTS sticker on a forklift truck shows that it has received a genuinely Thorough Examination, satisfying both LOLER 98 and PUWER 98 regulations. Without this mark, a truck, company or examiner may or may not meet safe, legal standards – crucially, there’s no way to tell. And with hundreds of CFTS accredited companies from Inverness to Cornwall and Great Yarmouth to Pembrokeshire – not to mention Donegal to Waterford – there’s really no reason to take that risk.

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 in their wider dispute over contracts – contracts (as they point out) PCS originally agreed to. An overtime ban and work to rule will also commence from today (23 November), which the Union says could lead to last minute cancellations of tests across England, Wales and Scotland. DVSA have pointed to the fact that only about a third of Examiners are members of PCS, meaning that less than a third of Examiners will be involved in any industrial action, somewhat diminishing the threats of widespread disruption made by PCS. In terms of the strikes planned for December, when it comes to the crunch, the union could also find that some of their members may be less than enthusiastic about actually taking action as both a day’s pay – and a day’s pension contribution – will be lost by those striking. The union has called for the new test to be suspended pending a full safety review, and wants a limit of six tests a day for examiners. Last week DVSA wrote to stakeholders reiterating the rigorous risk assessment process with had taken place, alongside the biggest trial ever to happen in UK driver testing. Internal and External risk assessments (carried out by Rospa) were also published. PCS were consulted in the risk assessment process.

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 dateturn 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 changingon Monday 4 December 2017. These changes will still go ahead as planned. IF YOUR DRIVING TEST IS CANCELLED You won’t have to contact the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) to rebook your appointment if you can’t take your test because of strike action. DVSA will contact you with a new test appointment within 5 to 10 working days. OUT OF POCKET EXPENSES You can claim out of pocket expenses if your test is cancelled, but you must have turned up for your test to be able to do this. If you don’t turn up, you’ll have to rebook your own test and won’t be able to claim expenses. Find out how to claim out-of-pocket expenses THEORY TESTS Theory tests aren’t affected by the strike action and will be taking place as planned. WHAT THE STRIKE IS ABOUT The strike action is about a new standard employment contract that DVSAstaff signed up to in 2014. In return for changes to their terms and conditions, they received a buy-out and a 3-year pay deal. This contract was negotiated with the unions and agreed by staff in a ballot. Since then, PCShas opposed some aspects of the contract PCS is now trying to link the dispute with health and safety risks of changes to the driving test. The new driving test has been designed to make sure drivers are better prepared for a lifetime of safe driving. The changes have been developed and trialled extensively with input from DVSA staff, learner drivers, their instructors and other road safety professionals. DVSA carried out risk assessments and commissioned the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) to carry out an independent assessment. These show that the new test manoeuvres were low risk. HELPING YOU THROUGH A LIFETIME OF SAFE DRIVING Gareth Llewellyn, DVSA Chief Executive, said: The fact PCS is trying to undermine the launch of the new test by calling for strike action shows a shameful disregard for both road safety and learner drivers who have worked so hard to be ready to take their test. The new driving test has been designed to make sure new drivers have the skills they need to help them through a lifetime of safe driving. It is one step in helping reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on Britain’s roads. During the last 3 years the changes – which are welcomed by most examiners, road safety experts, disability groups and instructors – have been developed and trialled extensively with a wide range of our staff, learners and other organisations. Over 4,000 candidates were involved in the trial. I met with PCS on 2 November 2017 and they turned down my offer of mediation, although our offer still stands. This means that we cannot move forward together to resolve this dispute, for the sake of our staff and customers.

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 the operators seat properly and 48% were unaware how to suitably check the mast. “Compared to efficiency or practical driving skills, pre-use inspection is the area in which drivers are performing most poorly,” says Nick. “To improve safety and reduce risk, employers must deliver training that ensures operators are skilled and competent to inspect the equipment. Supervisors should also ensure that pre-use inspections are taking place, and highlight their importance in everyday operations.” Despite the quality or age of the equipment, and even if it has been checked by another operator that day, operators should never assume that a forklift truck is safe and ready to operate. The pre-use inspection helps to identify any mechanical failures or potential problems, and each component checked is vital to the safety of the operator, and the operation. Speaking at the recent FLTA National Fork Lift Safety Conference, Nick explained that damage or wear can occur at any time during use, making a lift truck unsafe to operate. However, UK Health and Safety Executive statistics, show that more than 18% of occurring lift truck incidents could have been avoided with correctly conducted pre-use inspections. “Forklift operation is a skilled job that requires specific training. There must always be an element of human responsibility,” he said in his presentation ‘Appearance isn’t everything’, which explored the importance of pre-use inspections and how employers can effectively manage this with their operators. Nick also explained that pre-use inspections are not just an important safety procedure. Many operators do not realise that by neglecting to carry out an inspection, they may be breaking the law, by failing in their duty of care to themselves and to others. Inspections must also be properly recorded, using a Pre-Use Inspection Sheet, for example, to report any defects or for use in case of an incident investigation. “When it comes to improving safety, it is always best for employers to be proactive, rather than reactive,” he continued. “We believe that with quality training, operators will better understand how to carry out pre-use inspections, appreciate their importance, and become more vigilant in conducting them, reducing the risk of incidents.”

A tyre company has been fined £300,000 following the breach of health and safety regulations which resulted in the death of a forklift operator. In July 2014, operator, Stephen Woollas, was working at the Gonerby Hill Foot site of Vau-Lug Traction Tyres Ltd. Mr Woollas was moving a load of tyres whilst travelling forward, but was unable to see the path ahead of him. Whilst moving forward, the truck tipped over, crushing Mr Woollas underneath it. The investigation found that at the time of the incident, Mr Woollas was not wearing a seatbelt. However, further investigation found that the warning device on the seatbelt, which indicates when an operator is moving off without wearing the seatbelt, had been disabled. The belt had instead been clipped into the latching mechanism, found behind the seat. Other lift trucks on the premises were also found to have the seatbelt warning device disabled. Although the firm has health and safety policies in place which requires operators to wear seatbelts, it was found that these policies were not enforced. It was also found that that no policy had been put in place for operators to drive in reverse only when their view moving forwards was obstructed. Alex Stein, prosecutor on the case, commented: “Mr Woollas was driving a fork lift at the company’s site when the truck tipped on to its side and he was crushed under it. He was driving without a seatbelt carrying a load of tyres. There was a restricted view available to him as he was driving forwards. The requirement to reverse in the forklift truck wasn’t being enforced.” He continued: “The fork lift truck became destabilised and tipped over. The investigator is confident that the destabilising came from riding over a tyre. Because Mr Woollas was driving forward with a stack in front of him he had no chance of seeing anything. As the fork truck fell over, Mr Woollas was trapped. Workers did their very best to free him and an ambulance was called, but tragically he did not survive.” At Lincoln Crown Court, Vacu-Lug Traction Tyres was found guilty of breaching health and safety regulations and fined £300,000, with further prosecution costs of £25,000. Malcolm Galloway from Vacu-Lug commented after the case: “The company accepts, by its plea, that it did not do sufficient. This is not a bad company. It had taken health and safety very, very seriously and was doing its utmost to make sure that its employees worked within a safe environment. This was a company with systems in place to try and be proactive with health and safety. This is not a case of total failure by the company due to disregard and not caring.” Source: Grantham Journal, Vacu-Lug fined £300,000 following death of Grantham fork-lift truck driver, Friday 15th September 2017.

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