Beacon Bingo Club in Belton Road West, Loughborough, has been fined over £36,000 after one of their ‘unlucky’ employees was said to have been nearly killed by a forklift truck.
The injured man reportedly suffered a shattered rib and punctured lung in the accident on 5th September 2012. At the time of the incident, the Beacon Bingo employee was helping the forklift driver move a heavy slot machine to a skip. He was hospitalised for his injuries.
He was later released by the hospital and then taken back again after he suffered a relapse. He has now made a full recovery. Charwood County Council took his employees ‘Beacon Bingo Ltd’ to court over the incident.
The council investigated and concluded that Beacon had failed to carry out reasonable risk assessments or provide adequate safety information for their employees and visitors.
Beacon admitted fault, and Byron Evans, the commercial director of Prasepe, which owns Beacon Bingo Ltd, pleaded guilty to four charges of safety breaches on behalf of the company.
- Failing to carry out proper risk assessments.
- Failing to provide adequate safety information for staff.
- Failing to provide adequate safety information for visitors.
- Failing to carry out a lifting operation in a safe way.
The council’s cabinet member for regulatory services, Jane Hunt, said: “This outrageous breach of basic health and safety rules could very easily have taken someone’s life. Our investigation exposed poor working practices and this sentence should serve as a very stark reminder that safety rules must be adhered to. The council works with businesses to make sure they have all they need to work in safety. There is no excuse for endangering the lives of employees.”
Beacon Bingo was found guilty and fined a total of £36,320.