PCL Transport 24/7 fined after driver injured

PCL Transport 24/7 has been fined after a driver was struck by a reversing vehicle when he was carrying out a pre-use check on his vehicle.

Reading Crown Court heard how, on December 15 2015, an employee of PCL Transport 24/7 Limited was injured at a dairy in Aylesbury.

The injured person was struck by a reversing vehicle while he was carrying out a pre-use check on his lorry.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that safety controls, principally the use of an allocated pre-use vehicle check area, were not being followed by the logistics company’s lorry drivers.

PCL Transport 24/7 Limited of Leigh Road, Slough pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 17 of Workplace (Health, Safety & Welfare) Regulations and was fined £150,000 and ordered to pay costs of £17,649.27 and a victim surcharge of £120.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Stephen Faulkner said: “Being struck by vehicles is still one of the highest causes of workplace fatal accidents.

“Employers should ensure that where vehicles and pedestrians use the same areas, there is sufficient separation between them.”

The HSE is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise.