Achill man could have been saved

Inquest hears that Achill man’s tragic death could have been avoided

AN ACHILL native who died following an industrial accident in Fermanagh in 2006 would not have died if the handbrake on a forklift reported for repair had been ‘adjusted to the minimum specification’.
Mr John Martin McNeela (54) a native of Achill who had been living in Dromore in Co Tyrone for 20 years, died on February 1, 2006 when he was crushed while loading a truck on the premises of Balcas Saw Mills near Enniskillen. At the inquest into his death, held in Omagh, fellow workers described Mr McNeela, a qualified forklift truck driver, as a ‘very careful driver who did everything by the book’ and ‘one of the safest and best forklift drivers’.
Mr McNeela was found by three co-workers trapped between a pallet of wood at the front of the forklift and the articulated lorry. There were no witnesses to the fatal accident and Mr McNeela was dead when they arrived at the scene.
Co-worker, William Sproule explained that  fellow workers became concerned when the forklift had been parked for 15 minutes at the lorry as it was not like Mr McNeela to sit in one place for so long. Other workers gave accounts of finding the forklift with its handbrake on and Robin Downey, a machine operator, said it was, ‘common practice’ for forklift drivers to pull on the handbrake, get out of the vehicle and walk to the front to adjust ‘skids’ that are attached to the forks.
A report of the accident was conducted by Mr Brian Pryce, a Health and Safety Executive Officer, who said that prior to the accident an employee had reported that the forklift was ‘breaking unevenly’. He noticed that when the forklift was parked on a slope with the handbrake engaged, the forklift would move one to two feet forward.
Mr Pyrce’s reported stated that Mr McNeela had parked the forklift on a five-degree slope on the concrete yard and four kilogrammes of force was exerted by the use of the handbrake. However, the manufacturer’s recommendation to properly secure a Komatsu SL2 forklift was a force of 20 kilogrammes, and subsequent tests showed that the handbrake functioned safely when a force of 20 kilogrammes was applied with the same load on board.
The inquest heard that the faulty handbrake was reported within hours of the accident, and David Ringland of NM Forktrucks carried out an examination. Mr Pryce confirmed that Mr Ringland did not know the recommended force required for the handbrake and agreed that if the handbrake tension had been adjusted to the manufacturer’s recommendations, the forklift would not have moved.
The coroner, Ms Suzanne Anderson, said it was clear from the evidence that Mr McNeela was a conscientious and diligent worker and extended her condolences to his family.