On 22 February 2016 at a site in Chaddesden, 24-year-old employee Lee Gaskin was injured during the loading of bins of scaffold fittings onto a lorry using a Hi-Ab lorry mounted crane. The Hi-Ab arm knocked him from the bed of the lorry to the ground and he suffered significant injuries to his arms.
The Health and Safety Executive found that Benchmark Scaffolding Limited failed to:
At Derby Magistrates’ Court, Benchmark Scaffolding Limited of Waterside Trading Estate, Hanwell, London pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 8(1) of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. The Company was fined £40,000 and ordered to pay full costs of £1,968.63 and a Victim Surcharge of £170.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Katherine Blunt said: “This was a very serious and wholly avoidable incident, caused by the failure of the company to plan and implement safe systems of work, for the loading of scaffolding parts on to the lorry.
“This incident could so easily have been avoided through the company properly planning the lifting of scaffolding parts onto the lorry, giving clear instructions for employees to follow, and having a competent person identified as Supervisor. This would have ensured the lift was carried out in a safe manner”.
