Health and safety body prosecutes over fork-lift death

A local authority is being brought to court by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after one of its employees was killed by a fork-lift truck, a source says.

The HSE is prosecuting Plymouth city council for five breaches of health and safety regulations, reports the Plymouth Evening Herald.

Rory Littley was killed when a workmate's forklift truck was used to help lift him to the height necessary for releasing a number of wheelie bins stored on the back of a lorry.

It moved and he was crushed, the newspaper claims.

Plymouth city council is offering no plea to the charges, which include failing to ensure the safety of employees, not offering safety training and exposing workers to risk.

The coroner's inquest found the man had suffered "death by misadventure".

Earlier this week, the Sunderland Echo reported the prosecution of Alex Smiles for health and safety breaches which caused the death of an employee at one of its recycling depots.