Clitheroe firm fined after mechanic killed repairing forklift

A firm has been fined £30,000 after a mechanic was fatally injured while repairing a 30-year-old forklift truck.

Joseph Robinson, a mechanic at E. Jackson (Chatburn) Ltd in Lancashire, was trying to fix a steering fault when he was killed in October 2020.

Magistrates in Crewe heard he had asked a new worker to drive the truck forwards but the vehicle reversed, trapping Mr Robinson against a trailer.

The firm pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act.

As well as the fine, the trucking company was ordered to pay prosecution costs of more than £3,700.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said the 39-year-old mechanic had been working at the firm's site at Salthill Industrial Estate in Clitheroe on 13 October when the incident happened.

He was taken to hospital with severe head injuries and died the following day.

"This incident could so easily have been avoided," HSE inspector Shellie Bee said.

"The employer had not maintained the forklift truck in a suitable working condition and had allowed an untrained employee to operate it.

"This, together with an inappropriate system to fix a fault on the machine, meant the truck and Joseph Robinson were in close proximity when it moved in a direction he had not anticipated.

"As a result Joseph tragically lost his life."

Mr Robinson's mother Sue Robinson described him as a "much-loved son, brother, nephew, cousin and friend" who was "a hero in our eyes".

She said he was "hardworking, loyal and generous of spirit as evidenced by his request that in the event of his death that his organs be donated".

Ms Robinson said the family will never recover from losing him on that "catastrophic day".

She added: "We miss his cheeky humour, his one-liner quips, his happy smiling face, his unconditional love and support."

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