Loading bay driveway leads to leg amputation
A Norfolk-based food wholesaler has been fined £66,000 after an employee’s leg had to be amputated after he was injured while loading a lorry.
THE WORKER was loading an HGV using a pallet truck at Osprey Foods Limited, in Holt, Norfolk on 5 July 2023.
The HGV pulled away while the man was still inside the trailer, causing both him and the pallet truck to fall between the loading dock and the rear of the vehicle. The injuries he sustained were so severe his leg had to be amputated.
Broken system
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Osprey Foods had not taken appropriate measures to control vehicle movements on their site. The traffic light system used to tell the HGV drivers when it was safe to move their vehicles had broken several weeks prior to the incident and had not been repaired. The traffic light remained green during the loading process, meaning that the driver pulled away thinking it was safe to do so and unaware that the man was still in the back of the vehicle.
Fine details
Osprey Foods Limited, of Holt, Norfolk, pleaded guilty to breaching sections 2 (1) and 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was fined £66,000 and ordered to pay £5,850 in costs at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on 20 June 2025.
Learning to do better
The Tomorrow’s Warehouse Manchester Event on September 30 tackles the issue of forklift safety in the warehouse with a high impact presentation
- Forklift Incident: Real Life Impact
- Lisa Ramos (Health & Safety Accident Impact Speaker)
- Lisa Ramos was working in a warehouse when she was struck by a forklift. Here, she discusses the short and long term physical and psychological impacts, as well as the knock-on impact on her family. Lisa’s partner Dave Garton co-presents. This session is hosted by UKMHA Chief Executive Rob Fisher. Attendees will never overlook forklift safety again.
The event takes place at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester.
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