Swann I&M Services fined £56,442 after forkift overturned during unsafe operation

Telecommunication inspection and maintenance company Swann I and M Services Limited was fined £56,442 (inc.costs) after a forklift truck overturned during an unsafe lifting operation.
The circumstances were:

• The accident occurred on 11 February 2017 at their factory on the Springwood Industrial Estate in Tonbridge.
• The operation to level a support column had not been properly planned and supervised by Swann I and M Services to ensure it was carried out safely
• Two forklifts on Springwood Industrial Estate were used to level this column by repeatedly pushing it with one truck and then “catching” it with the other.
• The HSE has described this operation as ‘high risk’, leaving one worker to carry out this unsafe work practice on his own.
• As a result, the column rolled on its base and fell – pulling over the forklift truck it was attached to.
• The operator escaped injury as he was operating the other forklift truck at the time.
• The company then went on to use two forklift trucks to try to right the overturned truck which was also unsafe and put workers at risk.

The HSE Inspector said: “The use of forklift trucks was both impractical and unsafe, putting workers at unnecessary risk. This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply having a competent person plan a safe lifting operation and providing adequate supervision to ensure the lifting operation was carried out safely. Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”