A Cheshire company has been fined following a vehicle accident which resulted in an employee suffering severe injuries.
Dairy Farmers of Britain, Nantwich in Cheshire, has been fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £2,916 in costs following a June 2008 incident.
It occurred on a site in Lincoln when a ride-on pallet truck and a forklift collided between the main fridge and the production areas, fracturing the pallet truck driver's lower right leg in several places.
The accident, which illustrates the need for contractors all risk cover, was described by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)as "avoidable".
Scott Wynne, an inspector with the watchdog, comments: "All companies must assess the risks when pedestrians and vehicles, such as forklift trucks, work in close proximity and take appropriate precautions which are well documented in HSE guidance."
Meanwhile, Gerald Parker, 64, of Thorncliffe Grange Farm at Emley near Huddersfield, was fined a total of £500 and ordered to pay costs of £958 after losing control of a vehicle on site and injuring three workers, including himself.