Yacht builder fined £200,000

A Plymouth yacht manufacturer was fined £200,000.00 and ordered to pay costs of £7,138 after an employee was injured when his forklift truck overturned.  Two fork lift trucks were being used, in tandem, to lift a large load from a flatbed lorry. Part of the load was lifted to allow the lorry to move forward, but in doing so another part of the load struck the mast of the forklift causing it to overturn. The injured party was off work for five months. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the lifting work had not been properly planned or risk assessed. The employees were not aware of relevant procedures and there were safer alternate methods available which had not been considered.