A farming company has been fined after a pedestrian was killed instantly when they were struck by a telescopic loader.
On 22nd February 2017, Anthony Ackroyd, a farmer, was driving a JCB telescopic loader that contained three bales of hay on the front. As a result of the heavy load, Mr Ackroyd had severely restricted visibility from the front of the machine and was unable to the see the pedestrian in front of him. He drove over the pedestrian, who was killed instantly.
Following the incident, an investigation carried out by Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the pedestrian was a previous employee of the farm and lived in a cottage adjacent to the site, he visited the farm regularly to complete tasks such as gardening. At the time of the incident, it was found that Mr Ackroyd was carrying an employee of the farm on the mounting step of the vehicle. The worker was standing in such a way that if he slipped off, he would have fallen directly under the wheels of the loader.
HSE inspector, Julian Franklin, commented “This was a tragic and wholly avoidable incident. Drivers should ensure that they can always see in front of them or take equally effective precautions.”
B A L Ackroyd pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) and Section 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. They received a fine of £18,000, with further costs of £10,690.
Source: SHP Online, Member of public killed instantly after being struck by telescopic loader, 4th November 2019. Read the full article.