RECENT EH&S INCIDENTS
May 2006
Summary
Incident 1:
Fork Truck Reversed into Pedestrian Door
A contract fork truck driver had left his truck parked in reverse gear with no brake applied. He tried to climb into the cab from the wrong side and in doing so stepped on the accelerator pedal. The truck moved backwards whilst the driver attempted to get into the cab and crashed into a doorway. No one was injured.
Corrective action: After an investigation the truck driver was dismissed and the supervisor of the area disciplined.
Incident 2:
Electrical Supervisor Cut Through Unidentified Cable
A machine was being disconnected as part of a relocation project; it was known the machine’s electrical panel had been isolated. An electrical supervisor was cutting the ‘dead cables’ in the panel to allow its removal. He came across a cable the identity he was unsure of; assuming it was dead he cut it. It turned about to be an IT data cable the loss of which stopped the factory for over an hour whilst a replacement was connected up. No one was injured.
Corrective action: This is contrary to recently re-iterated company policy (see Feb 06 report) The supervisor was counselled and the practice of cutting rather than disconnecting cables stopped.
Safety Incidents YTD May 06 in UK 2006
| LWC | LWCIR | No Lost Time | Near Miss |
| 1 | 0.14 | 47 | 14 |
Incident 1
What Happened
A security guard found a pedestrian door damaged in a lorry loading area. No accident or incident report had been made and when the manager of that area made enquires no one claimed any knowledge of the incident. The manager reviewed security camera recordings and found that a driverless forktruck had reversed into the door whilst the ‘driver’ had been trying climb into the cab.
The fork truck was a modern gas powered type with an automatic gearbox designed to hold the truck stationary in forward or reverse gear providing the accelerator pedal is not depressed – this allows the truck to be positioned precisely when in use – it is not intended as a ‘parking’ feature. All drivers are trained to dismount the truck only when the steering column gear level is in ‘neutral’ and the handbrake is on (and if leaving it for more than a moment the engine switched off with the key removed) As an additional precaution they are also advised not to climb into the cab from the accelerator side to avoid catching it. In this incident the driver appeared to have developed the practice of saving time by climbing on and off the truck with the gearbox selector still in ‘forward’ or ‘reverse’, assuming the truck would stay in position. He accidentally caught the accelerator as he climbed in and the truck set off in reverse as he tried to stop it. After carrying him backwards it came to rest against a pedestrian door (which 50 seconds later somebody walked through)
Whilst a company should always be cautious of disciplining people who have had accidents because it can discourage open reporting of incidents the lessons from which may avoid something more serious, in this case it was decided to dismiss the temporary contract driver. This was because he had not followed his training to a dangerous degree, had not reported the incident and had denied knowledge of it when asked. The area supervisor was disciplined because, although not a witness to the incident, it was clear by the damaged door something had occurred yet as the manager of the area and ultimately responsible for the safety in that area, he made no report or carried out any investigation.
Corrective Actions
Fork truck drivers reminded of their training, the driving standards expected of them and the importance of reporting incidents.
Logistics contractor reminded its managers and contractors of need to manage and maintain safety; a vital part being the investigating and reporting of incidents.
Incident 2
What Happened
An electrical panel was being disconnected; the main power supply to it had been isolated. To reduce the time taken in tracing the sources of cables an electrical supervisor started to cut the dead cables rather than disconnecting them. He was unsure of the identity of one of the cables he found but confident that the mains supply was off, he cut it assuming it to be a dead electrical cable. It was in fact an IT communication cable connecting two parts of the factory which had to stop producing for over an hour.
Discussion
A similar incident to this had occurred in February 2006 where a panel had been disconnected from the mains yet their remained some unidentified wiring which was assumed to be dead and cut. As with this case in May 06 the wires were being cut to ensure a project met a timescale of machine removal.
In both cases the unidentified wires were being treated with caution by experienced electricians (cut with insulated tools and the bare ends checked for voltage) but it is clear potential problems: the wires may become live at a later stage, the might be doing something else (like carrying data) and if there is a change of plan – frequently the case in projects – reconnection is made more difficult if new cables have to be run.
Corrective Action
The electrical supervisor, being one of the people charged with ensuring that the company policy on electrical safety is followed, was counselled on the need to follow that policy even if it meant project. The practice of cutting cables was discontinued. The company procedures on electrical disconnection were reiterated amongst electricians, electrical managers and project engineers Senior managers stressed the need for managers including themselves to support decisions taken on genuine safety grounds.
LWC Summary May 06 YTD
| Date of Incident | Incident | Corrective Action | Time Lost |
| May 06 | Woman Slipped on wet floor recently cleaned floor and bruised arm | Cleaning practices reviewed the wet floor warning sign - was found to be missing. | 1 Day |