Lorry crane death firm hit with six-figure fine

Chris Tindall
January 2, 2023

A transport firm has been fined £400,000 after one of its drivers was killed when he was knocked off his trailer by his vehicle-mounted crane.

Timber merchant Arnold Laver & Company was found to have made a number of health and safety failings, which led to the death of Robert Gifkins in November 2020.

The driver had been making a timber delivery to a company in Whaddon near Salisbury and he had climbed on the trailer bed to sling the load and attached it to the vehicle-mounted crane.

According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Gifkin was struck by the crane when he moved the load using his remote control, before falling from the vehicle onto the ground.

He was taken to hospital and subsequently died on 17 December 2020.

An HSE investigation found that the risks associated with this type of work had not been properly assessed and the risk of falls had not been adequately prevented or controlled.

The company had also not provided the driver with sufficient training and instructions on the safe operation of the remote crane controls.

At a sentencing hearing at Salisbury Magistrates’ Court, the Sheffield company pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act.

It was fined £400,000 and ordered to pay costs of £19,841.99.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Leo Diez said: “Falls from vehicles can be overlooked by employers when considering risks from work at height. Simple control measures would have prevented this accident.”

About the Author

img

Chris Tindall

Chris Tindall started writing for the haulage and logistics industry in 2002 and quickly realised there was enough going on to keep him busy for a very long time. He’s covered a broad range of significant issues, including GPS jamming by criminals, platooning, Brexit and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the lack of safe and secure lorry parks and he helped secure the release of a lorry driver in a Polish jail due to misuse of the European Arrest Warrant.

Share this article

Vehicle Type
make
model
bodytype
axle
cabtype
Emissions
;