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Policeman run over on training course
Page 12
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• by Pete Swinger A West Midlands police officer suffered a fractured arm after he was run over by a truck while taking part in a lorry inspection training course, a court was told.
In what is believed to be the first time a police force in the UK has been prosecuted over the safety of one of its own officers, the West Midlands force was fined £2,750 after PC Paul Millward was injured while carrying out an examination of a truck.
A hearing in Birmingham heard how Mil'ward had been inspecting the vehicle in a lay-by near the M5 last February when the accident happened. The truck was being driven forward to allow another lorry to take its place when it ran over his left arm.
West Midlands Police and Birmingham City College, which ran the course, each admitted a charge under the Health and Safety at Work Act. The college was also fined £2,750 and both defendants were ordered to pay £2,825 in costs.
District Judge Nigel Cadbury said: 'This was a serious accident in which a significant injury was caused to PC Mil!ward who was in no way to blame for the accident."
The judge accepted that the police and the college took issues of health and safety seriously; the accident was an isolated incident which was not a sign of complacency The court was told that the course in question had been running for about 20 years and the accident had been caused by a failure to carry out proper risk assessment.
Bernard Thorogood, representing the police, said the course normally used a purpose-built site at Perry Barr, Birmingham, where lorries were regularly inspected. It was the first time the lay-by had been used.
He added that PC Millward was now back at work on rehabilitation duties but might need another operation to restore full function of his arm. Hugh Williams, representing the college, told the hearing that the accident was an unusual event which would not necessarily have been anticipated by the course tutor.