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  3. HSE investigates Royal Mail truck over foot incident

An employee at a Royal Mail bundling centre was left with bruising and broken bones in his foot, after a truck drove over it.

 

The incident occurred in March 2014, when an employee of Royal Mail Group Ltd stepped out whilst working in a warehouse in Rochester, Kent. As he stepped forward, a reach truck ran over his foot, causing a severe injury. Medway Magistrates Court heard that the worker had not been wearing steel-toecap safety boots, which may have lessened the injury.

 

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated the accident, and discovered that the transport in the workplace had not been organised to allow vehicles and pedestrians to manoeuvre safely, as both operated within the same environment. According to the HSE, an organised warehouse would have prevented the incident from taking place.

 

The court fined the Royal Mail Group, based in Victoria Embankment London, £100,000 following a guilty plea to a breach of workplace safety regulations. The company also had to pay costs of £10,406.

 

The company had breached Regulations 17 (1) of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, and Regulation 3 (1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

 

The use of PPE or specialist workwear may have significantly reduced the injuries suffered, as safety boots are specifically designed to prevent injury in this type of incident. Employers also have a duty of care to the workforce, taking sufficient measures to reduce the likelihood of an accident or injury while in the workplace.

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