Operating a dangerous forklift has left one teenager hospitalised with serious injuries and a businessman’s livelihood in ruins.

Dangerous trucks

Courts in the UK recently heard of how a 17-year-old worker was left hospitalised for two weeks after having his leg trapped by a poorly maintained forklift. The truck, which was on loan from another business for six months, had a catalogue of defects, including stuck ignition keys and faulty steering. Would you drive a car in this condition?

Of course not!

Cases such as this are a strong reminder of the importance of routine forklift examinations (like the MOT on your car) prescribed by law in many countries. Had the company in question fully understood its responsibility to keep its trucks in good working order, it might have avoided the accident altogether and the prosecution and fines that followed.