‘Joyful, hardworking’ Oldham man died after being hit by forklift truck

A wine and drinks supplier has been fined GBP800,000 after a visiting HGV driver from Oldham died when he was hit by a forklift truck at a depot in Salford. John Fitzpatrick was waiting for his trailer to be loaded at Kingsland Drinks Ltd in Irlam, Salford, on August 19, 2020, when the incident took place. The 59-year-old suffered serious head injuries and later died in hospital having never regained consciousness.

At Manchester Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (January 25), Kingsland Drinks Ltd of The Winery, Fairhills Road, Irlam, pleaded guilty to breaching sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act and were sentenced. In a victim personal statement read out at the sentencing, John’s partner, Paula Fitzpatrick, said: “John was a joyful character, full of life, and often described as the life and soul of the party. “He would talk to anyone and I would often lose him for a couple of hours when he went to the local shop as he would be talking to all the neighbours on the way.

“He was that kind of person – a very hardworking man who would do all the DIY around the house and that included all the family’s odd-jobs. “At the time of his death, we were planning how our future would look.” An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) discovered a number of areas where the company had failed.

The risk assessment was out of date and not fit for purpose, and there was no pedestrian and vehicle segregation in place in the loading area. Visiting drivers were also not given clear information about site safety. Kingsland Drinks Ltd was fined GBP800,000 and ordered to pay further costs of GBP5,614.30.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Sharon Butler said: “This death would have been prevented if clear controls had been in place for visiting drivers.

“Companies who have loading areas need to provide information and instructions to visiting drivers and have clear segregation in place to ensure the site is safe for all who use it.

“Easy steps can be taken to reduce the risk of visiting drivers becoming injured on site.”