Employee died in forklift truck accident - Company must pay £150,000

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An investigation recently completed by Liverpool Council have held that Chestnut Building Centres should be fined, after their employee, Robert Ambrose, sadly passed away when he became crushed under a forklift truck on the 15^th of November 2018.

It was found that Mr Ambrose, who was 62 at the time of his death, was working in a yard and driving a forklift truck. His vehicle was then caught by a HGV, causing him to be thrown out of the vehicle before his own forklift fell on top of him.

Mr Ambrose was taken to hospital, where surgeons amputated his leg in an attempt to save his life. Unfortunately, due to the extent of his injuries and the amount of blood lost, he never regained consciousness. At the date of his passing, Mr Ambrose had worked for Chestnut Building Centres for 40 years.

employee died in forklift truck accident

Although Mr Ambrose was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the incident, it has been held that the company did not require its employees to wear them whilst operating forklift trucks.

The company’s owners accepted responsibility in full for breaching health and safety rules and they stated that they viewed Mr Ambrose as part of their extended family. As a consequence, the company received a hefty £94,500 fine for their own failings alongside an order to pay £66,025 to cover the cost of the prosecution and the Council’s investigations.

Mr Ambrose is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, who provided a touching statement to the Court, advising that Mr Ambrose was a generous and kind individual whose main concern in life was helping others in his community. He was described as the “nicest person you could ever meet” and “helpful, kind and hardworking”.

Elizabeth stated that Mr Ambrose frequently baked for his local church, volunteered for the Dogs’ Trust and was found to be one of Liverpool’s most regular blood donors. The couple had been together for 20 years, having met in a pub, and they had been planning to travel together when Mr Ambrose retired, which would have been in March this year.

Elizabeth advised that she was still struggling to come to terms with how her husband passed and that she could not believe that Chestnut Building Centres had allowed such a breach of safety regulations, particularly after 40 years of employment with the company.

Sadly, Mr Ambrose’s accident is not an isolated incident. In 2020/21, 441,000 employees in Great Britain suffered an injury at work, with 142 suffering a fatality. Accidents involving forklift trucks now equate to 25% of all workplace injuries, with around 1300 employees each year being hospitalised due to forklift trucks, averaging out at five employees each day.

Injuries can range from fractures, dislocations, deglovings, and even amputations. Pedestrians are particularly susceptible to an injury, with 57% of all forklift truck accidents involving them.

Although forklift trucks do bring a high risk of injury, accidents can easily be prevented by employers. Companies should incorporate a segregation between pedestrian and vehicle areas where possible and each employer should provide thorough training to all employees to lower the risks to its workers.

If you do unfortunately suffer an accident at work, the incident may need to be reported to the Health and Safety Executive and you may be entitled to compensation.

What should I do if I have sustained an injury at work?

Oakwood Solicitors Ltd has a wealth of expertise in handling issues that arise from accidents at work, including those suffered in a warehouse environment.

We can advise you on your employment position and assist you with any claim you may wish to make against your employer (even if you are an agency worker). Claims can include reimbursing any loss of earnings you have incurred and providing any treatment which may be needed for your injury.

Company ordered to pay over £150,000 after employee died in forklift truck accident

An investigation recently completed by Liverpool Council have held that Chestnut Building Centres should be fined, after their employee, Robert Ambrose, sadly passed away when he became crushed under a forklift truck on the 15^th of November 2018.

What should I do if I have sustained an injury at work?

Further reading

WHAT TO DO NEXT

Company ordered to pay over £150,000 after employee died in forklift truck accident

An investigation recently completed by Liverpool Council have held that Chestnut Building Centres should be fined, after their employee, Robert Ambrose, sadly passed away when he became crushed under a forklift truck on the 15th of November 2018.

What should I do if I have sustained an injury at work?

Further reading

WHAT TO DO NEXT

An investigation recently completed by Liverpool Council have held that Chestnut Building Centres should be fined, after their employee, Robert Ambrose, sadly passed away when he became crushed under a forklift truck on the 15^th of November 2018.