There are about 8000 reportable accidents involving fork lift trucks every year in the UK. That's 22 every single day of the year! About 12 of these are fatal and it's fair to say that the number of fatal accidents has dropped over the years.
On this page I will list new accidents that come to my attention but for details of accidents going back more than ten years please check out those I put on the company web site here.
Some of the more recent accidents that have come to my attention are listed below and I will update these on an ongoing basis.
(I have deliberately removed the names of people and companies involved in these accidents to avoid further upset to those concerned)
The employer of an untrained man who injured himself when his telehandler overturned has been fined nearly £7,000 for its part in the accident. Details
A major UK manufacturer of tractors has been hit with simultaneous safety fines as it appeared in court facing two unconnected offences. Details
A fork-lift driver whose reckless actions led to the death of a colleague and friend has been fined a total of £2,500 Details
A 25-year-old worker has been killed in an accident involving a fork lift truck at a warehouse in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire. It happened at around 10am on Monday 26th April 2010 at a glass recycling company. (29th April 2010). Details
A construction company has been ordered to pay £4,500 after one of its workers was seriously injured when a forklift truck telehandler he was operating overturned. Details
A well known supermarket was slammed for 'extreme carelessness' by a crown court judge after a female employee had her leg seriously injured by a fork lift truck. Details
A retail giant has paid out six-figure sums after it's employee was injured in a fork lift truck accident. Details
The employers of a young man crushed to death in a lift truck accident have been fined for breaching health and safety legislation alongside the manager who condoned dangerous work practices. Details
A South Wales firm has been fined £50,000 after a worker lost the sight in one eye when a heavy sheet of toughened glass fell on him. Details
A London port has been ordered to pay out £250,000 after a six-year-old boy died while riding on a lift-truck at the dock. Details
A white goods giant has been ordered to pay almost £40,000 in fines and costs after a court heard how a worker was seriously injured when a stack of cookers fell on him. Details
The dangers of standing on the forks of a lift truck have been highlighted in court once again, following a tragedy in which a young father was crushed to death against a lorry. Details
A farming company was fined £20,000 after a court heard how a Hungarian student was killed when the fork lift truck she was riding on overturned. Details
A Northampton man has been crushed to death by a forklift truck in an horrific accident. The man, aged 28, died when the fork arm of the nine tonne truck toppled onto a car. Details
The HSE has warned that it will take action against workers whose 'horseplay' leads to an accident. The comment comes after an employee's act of stupidity left two teenage brothers with serious injuries. Details
HSE has once again been forced to issue a warning on the importance of controlling workplace transport, following the death of a man crushed by a load dislodged from a fork-lift truck. Details
A fork lift truck driver has been prosecuted and fined after his carelessness could have resulted in the death of a co-worker. Details
Although not strictly a fork lift accident this one is relevant. Two companies have been fined a total of £30,000 after a worker who had not been trained to understand risk assessments needlessly lost his fingertips in a machinery accident. Details
A man who forged his credentials and fooled a firm into employing him as a lift truck operator has been fined after he broke a colleague's back with his vehicle. Details
A man was crushed to death in a tragic lift truck accident after his vehicle hit an obstacle at a Northampton factory. Details
