Firm fined for riding on forklift

A Cheshire company has been fined after safety chiefs saw an employee being lifted up by a forklift truck to fix a bracket on a wall.

Bosses at Eazyfone Ltd pleaded guilty at Macclesfield Magistrates' Court after two passing HSE inspectors spotted the worker taking a ride on a pallet on the forks of a forklift truck to fit a CCTV bracket.

The firm was hit with a £6,000 fine for failing to ensure the safety of its employees.

HSE Inspector Deborah Walker said:"It is clearly unsafe for anyone to carry out work at height by standing on a pallet raised on a forklift truck. The Eazyfone employee was lucky not to have fallen and been seriously injured or killed.

"This demonstrates the need for companies to carry out suitable and sufficient risk assessments to ensure that a safe system of work is in place. This should include providing training for employees, and carefully planning and supervising the work.

"The method that was used was badly thought out and unsafe. This case should remind employers of the importance of working safely at height."