falling load kills worker on first day at work
A company has been fined €100,000 over safety breaches that caused the death of a man within hours of starting his first day at work. Ercio Peres Junior, (pictured left), was helping to hold a heavy metal press in place as it was being moved “slowly and steadily” on a forklift when the press fell onto him during a clean-up at Navan Hire Hardware and Safety Training Ltd.
The forklift was being driven by the director’s son, Keith Donegan, who was 18 years old at the time and had received inadequate forklift training, an inspector claimed.
Ercio’s dad Ercio Peres Snr, who also worked for the company, said the image of his son lying on the ground covered with blood would stay with him forever adding “the pain still remains the same”.
The court heard a clean-up began at 9.30am at the direction of Evelyn Donegan, a director at the firm, and the accident was at 10.10am. The 1.7-metre high press was in an upright position on the prongs of the forklift with the victim walking alongside holding onto its side when it toppled over. The court heard the recommended ways of moving such a load would have been to lift the pins of the forklift and carry it under pins using a sling, or carry it by inserting the pins through part of the press or strapping the machine onto a pallet.
Company director Brendan Donegan on behalf of the company at Kells Road in Navan, admitted failing to have a safe system of work in place at their premises on January 16, 2016. The company also pleaded guilty at Trim Circuit Court to failing to provide a forklift operator with the information, instruction, training and supervision necessary to lift and transport a hydraulic shop press in their workshop.
Health and Safety Authority Inspector Terry Hallahan told the court that 20-year-old Ercio was helping to hold a heavy metal press in place as it was being moved ‘slowly and steadily’ on a forklift. Mr Hallahan said: “Under no circumstances should a pedestrian be used to stabilise a load.”
The forklift operator had only received a few hours of basic training instead of the recommended five days of theory, job specific and on-the-job training, said Mr Hallahan.