Lorry driver crushed to death: We didn't know about tail lift risk, boss tells inquest
Bosses at a delivery company, where a lorry driver was crushed to death by his tail lift, told an inquest they were never informed by its manufacturers that there was a risk.
Gary Pickering died when his head became trapped between his lorry and its tail lift. He was attempting to lower the lift to unload goods at Home Bargains in Dudley's Churchill precinct. Mr Pickering is believed to have mistakenly pressed the up button while trying to manoeuvre the lift into the correct position, making it jolt back.
Alan Beech, transport manager at TJ Morris, told an inquest that the company which made the tail lift, Dhollandia, didn't warn them that it could suddenly snap back when this happened. The jury also heard that the firm's health and safety manager didn't inspect the new tail lifts when they were installed months before Mr Pickering's death because they were believed to be like-for-like replacements.
Mr Pickering, of Swinton, Manchester, was 34 when he died in September 2013.
Mr Beech said had he known the machinery could slam shut, he would have warned drivers. "Before the accident we didn't know that was possible, it was something we wouldn't even contemplate happening."
Mr Beech told the hearing Dhollandia had never told him about the feature and that he believed they should have done.
The inquest continues.
