Excavator crash leaves inadequately trained worker in coma

A highway maintenance worker slipped into a coma after suffering serious head injuries when the excavator he was driving struck a bridge on the M1 motorway in the East Midlands.
Engineering firm Van Elle Ltd was contracted to assist with road-widening work between Junction 25 to 28 on the motorway. On 22 September 2009, maintenance fitter Simon Foulke, who was employed by the firm, was operating a wheeled excavator when the vehicle’s boom hit a bridge.
Mr Foulke, 39, had been trained in how to use the machine to lift loads, but was not shown how to safely transport the excavator across a construction site. When he moved the vehicle its boom was positioned at an unsafe height. The manufacturer’s guidance states the boom must not be more than four metres high while travelling, but in this case the machine was being driven with the boom elevated to more than six metres. €
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Excavator crash leaves inadequately trained worker in coma
A highway maintenance worker slipped into a coma after suffering serious head injuries when the excavator he was driving struck a bridge on the M1 motorway in the East Midlands.
Safety & Health Practitioner
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Yes the company failed in giving training but what about the injured party? How much was he fined for failing in his duty?
Untill the HSE go after individuals no one will take responsibility for themselves and often win a cash prize for their own stupidity in the claims courts!
It just goes to show how critical adequate training is for for anyone operating plant or machinery. At even 10mph, the results of a mistake can be serious, or even fatal due to the size and weight of the equipment involved.
For the company, the damage to it’s finances and reputation are painful, but nowhere as bad as the likely permanent injuries to the driver.
Regarding the individuals accountability. Maybe he wont get fined for breach of criminal law but when it goes for the inevitable compensation claim in civil law his actions will be assessed as to his culpability in injuries received. I would hazard a guess that because he didn’t wear a seat belt he will receive a lot less than people think. Is that punishment enough?
Dont beleive the compensation myth Cameron is trying to promote, stupidity rarely gets rewarded.
Steady on…the IP was seriously injured, surely that is punishment enough for not wearing a seat belt. There were other failings on the part of his employer and PC. If they had done what they were supposed to do the incident may not of happened in the first place. It is they who should be punished, their life was not at risk, just the operator of the excavator.
I have to say i agree with the previous post. Until the HSE treat the individuals along the same lines as the companies the individuals will always know they will get away with it, whether that is a minor or major incident.
I also believe that they shouldnt be paid compensation for their on stupidity.
Ginga is right. The company has a duty to ensure that drivers are suitably trained. But there should be an expectation that the driver will use common sense. I used to have association with a business requiring haulage of large pieces of equipment (using independent hauliers) and we had (guess) probably one hit per year under a motorway bridge. It only required a tape-measure and a planned route.
And the driver was not wearing the installed belt.