A FORKLIFT truck inspector who was seriously injured at Carlisle’s Pirelli Tyres factory has spoken publicly about the life-changing impact of his injuries.

Just days after large fines were handed out to Pirelli and two other firms who admitted health and safety offences linked to the incident, 47-year-old Ivan Weightman’s victim impact statement has been released.

Safety chiefs say the prosecution that followed the incident shows the dangers of firms adopting “improvised” work methods with unsuitable equipment.

Mr Weightman had been carrying out a scheduled forklift truck inspection at the factory site in November 2019, when two heavy metal skips fell on top of him.

He sustained multiple fractures to his back and leg.

At Carlisle Crown Court last week, Pirelli, International Rubber and Tyre Recycling Limited and DCS Multiserve Limited were all sentenced at the conclusion of a prosecution by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following the incident on Dalston Road.

The court heard that workers from International Rubber and Tyre Recycling Limited moved materials at the site whereas staff from DCS Multiserve Limited removed waste.

Mr Weightman went to the Dalston Road site to service the forklift truck, which he found parked up against a stack of waste tyres on a stillage, a kind of metal framed pallet.

Two metal skips had been positioned on top of the stack – an improvised system used by workers which was intended to compress waste tyres.

This made the it easier for workers to load the tyres on to a lorry before they were taken away from the site.

To work on the forklift truck, Mr Weightman moved it a short distance. It was as he walked to the front of the truck, which was leased by International Rubber and Tyre Recycling Limited, that both skips fell on to him, trapping him on the floor.

He fractured four lumbar vertebrae, his left femur and was hospitalised for several weeks as a result of the incident. News and Star: The Pirelli site on Dalston Road, Carlisle

A HSE investigation found the skips were routinely placed on the tyres to compress them and the forklift truck was used to hold the skips in position. This improvised working method was approved by Pirelli and carried out by workers at International Rubber and Tyre Recycling Limited and DCS Multiserve Limited.

But there was no effective control over access to the truck and the ignition key was routinely left in the cab. There was also no clarity over which contractor was responsible for this work and as a result no risk assessment was ever carried out.

In his statement, Mr Weightman said: “I used to enjoy going camping, going for walks with my partner and doing a bit of DIY. I had to get rid of my tent, I couldn’t put it up. With all the pain, I struggled to do it.

“I can’t go for walks like I used to. It starts to get uncomfortable and painful.

 “I struggle coming down the stairs with my left knee. I struggle to get comfortable in bed or when sat on the sofa. My left knee gives way sometimes, like when I am carrying a heavy shopping bag.

“I can’t play with my grandson, who is five, and I won’t be able to play with my great nephew when he is older.”

Pirelli Tyres Limited, of Derby Road, Burton-On-Trent, Staffordshire, admitted breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and Regulation 11(1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. The company was fined £280,000 and ordered to pay £4,703.43 in costs.

International Rubber and Tyre Recycling Limited, of Moorhead Lane, Shipley, West Yorkshire, admitted breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and Regulation 11(1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

The company was fined £9,000 with £4,566.13 costs.

DCS Multiserve Limited, of Mylord Crescent, Camperdown Industrial Estate, Newcastle, admitted breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. The company was fined £2,600 and ordered with £15,000 costs.

HSE inspector Matthew Tinsley said: “The fines imposed on these companies should be a warning to those responsible for the effective management of contractors and effective supervision of employees that the courts, and HSE, take a failure to follow the regulations extremely seriously.

“It also highlights the risks of improvised work methods using unsuitable equipment.

“HSE will not hesitate to take action against companies which do not do all that they should to keep people safe.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Nathan Cook and supported by HSE paralegal officer Louisa Shaw.

Read more: Big fines for Pirelli and two other firms for Carlisle skip incident