John Graham (Dromore) fined after telehandler death

Northern Irish contractor John Graham (Dromore) has been fined a total of £65,000 at Belfast Crown Court, following the death of one of its employees.

Gerard Morgan, 53, died after a telehandler reversed over him while he was working at the premises of the former Ormeau Bakery, Ormeau Road in Belfast on 27 February 2008.

A subsequent investigation by the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) found that John Graham (Dromore) had not ensured that the telehandler driver had an adequate field of vision at the rear of the machine to ensure the safety of pedestrians.

The rear of the machine had been fitted with a visibility aid but HSENI said it was not operational at the time of the accident.

Louis Burns, head of HSENI's major investigations team said: "Companies need to ensure that operators of mobile equipment should be able to see anyone who is put at risk when any control is operated, including driving in reverse. Therefore mirrors or more sophisticated visual sensing facilities may be required at the rear of mobile equipment such as telehandlers. In addition companies must ensure that a safe system of work is put into operation and consistently maintained."