A house-building company was fined £350,000 following a lift truck accident that killed a teenaged employee. He was crushed to death as he attempted to escape from an overturned vehicle he was not qualified to operate.

He had been shifting roof trusses from a lorry to a storage place when the incident took place. Driving the truck from flat concrete to less even ground, he began to lose control, tipping first one way then the other and overturning. The trusses were initially embedded in the ground, leaving the cabin of the lift truck with just enough room for the operator to crawl out. As he did so, the trusses gave way, the cabin coming down with full force on his head, killing him instantly.

Although he had undertaken a half-day course on operating a counterbalance lift truck, he was not qualified to operate the telescopic lift truck in question. The tyre pressures on the truck were also incorrect, adding to the vehicle's instability.

The site manager was aware that the deceased was inadequately trained, and a safety consultant had warned the company three weeks earlier that its procedures were unsafe. The HSC Approved Code of Practice on training for lift truck drivers clearly spells out that operatives need to be trained, and that they also need separate training to operate specific types of truck.

With fines of £350,000 and costs of over £14,000, this was a tragic accident where a young man's life was cut short due to the company's failure to train and supervise him.

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