A recycling firm, which ignored warnings about safety at its plant in Warrington, has been sentenced after a worker was struck by a forklift truck.
The truck was carrying a large bale of crushed aluminium cans when it hit the 43-year-old man as he walked across the warehouse floor at the site on Thelwall Lane in Latchford. The worker suffered damage to his ankles and feet.
Novelis UK Ltd. was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following the incident on 18 November 2010.
Warrington Magistrates' Court heard that HSE inspectors had given Novelis advice about improving the vehicle and pedestrian segregation four months before the incident. Workers at the plant had also previously raised concerns about the issue.
The court was told forklift trucks were regularly used in the warehouse, but there was not an adequate system in place to keep vehicles away from pedestrians.
Novelis UK Ltd. pleaded guilty to a breach of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 by failing to ensure workers and vehicles could move safely around the site. The company was fined £6,000 and ordered to pay £3,365 in prosecution costs.