Company penalized for forklift causing man's death

A business has been ordered to pay over 440,000 after a man lost his life when a malfunctioning forklift tipped off a trailer while he was operating it. Chris Keegan, aged 67, was reversing the vehicle onto a trailer in November 2023 when it toppled, ejecting him and pinning him between the forklift chassis and an adjacent trailer. He died instantly at Hessle Fork Trucks in Castleford.

Hessle Plant Ltd, located at Carrwood Road Industrial Estate in Glasshoughton, admitted to violating the Health & Safety at Work Act. The company was fined 433,550 at Leeds Magistrates' Court on 26 November.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that the forklift had multiple maintenance issues and that Mr. Keegan was not wearing a seat belt. The incident occurred shortly after 06:00 GMT on 20 November 2023, while he was returning the forklift to a customer site in Sheffield following recent transmission repairs.

Emergency services attempted to save Mr. Keegan at the Castleford depot, where his wife and two stepdaughters arrived, but his injuries were fatal. The HSE found that the forklift had not undergone a full safety inspection before being returned to a customer, even though full inspections were standard for deliveries to new clients.

Mrs. Diane Keegan described her husband as "a wonderful, kind, and generous man who would do anything for anyone."

The investigation also revealed that many of the companys employees rarely used seat belts while operating forklifts, and there was no system to monitor or enforce seat belt usage on site.

HSE inspector David Beaton commented: "This was a tragic and preventable death. Mr. Keegan was exposed to danger due to underlying defects in the machine, which he could not have known about when reversing onto the trailer in low light. Proper use of the seat belt would likely have prevented this fatal outcome."

In addition to the fine, Hessle Plant Ltd was ordered to cover 8,146.80 in costs and pay a 2,000 victim surcharge. Mrs. Keegan added: "My heart is broken. Losing my husband in such a horrific way is something I will never recover from, and he never deserved to die under these tragic circumstances."

Author: Grace Ellison