LONDON: Workers are being warned not to operate telehandlers if the right-hand side window is missing or broken, following a fatal incident.
A 36-year-old man was apparently leaning through the broken window aperture when he was crushed by the descending boom. It is the third such fatal accident in the last seven years.
The side window on telehandlers (or variable reach trucks) is designed to prevent operator access to the boom. If the glass screen is broken or missing, operators may be tempted to lean out of the window aperture, for instance to adjust a mirror, and may inadvertently lower the boom onto themselves without being able to stop it.
The Health and Safety Executive has issued a safety notice recommending that machines in this condition be removed from use until the window has been replaced, and reminding users of their duty to carry out daily checks of the truck which should include the condition of the cab windows.
