26 Sep 2022 Zachariah Nathaniel RICHARDSON · Prevention of Future Deaths report Norfolk
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Concerns raised 11 Failure to make health and safety changes View source Failure to complete FLT thorough examinations when due View source Lack of health and safety competence View source Leptospirosis risk from goods in the yard View source Uncertainty in interpretation of LOLER regulations for machinery use and operation View source Insufficient FLT operator training and competence View source Failure to maintain effective FLT seat safety switch devices View source Failure to address or challenge reported safety findings View source Poor perception of risks associated with high-risk machinery View source Failure to provide adequate supervision for inexperienced workers operating on site View source Lack of health and safety management systems for high-risk machinery View source See 8 more concerns
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Zachariah Nathaniel RICHARDSON · Prevention of Future Deaths report
This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.
Report summary
Zachariah Nathaniel Richardson, aged 18, suffered fatal injuries after being found trapped between a forklift truck and a wall while working alone at a site. Concerns included his limited experience and recent forklift training, overdue examinations and defective or defeated safety devices on the forklift trucks, and wider shortcomings in health and safety systems and competence.
Read the report on judiciary.uk
× Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Lincs Firwood Co Ltd; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Failure to make health and safety changes
Wider context from the report “6. As at the date of the inquest, some 23 months following Mr Richardson’s death, no evidence was heard as to any changes which had been made with regard to health and safety at either Lincs Firewood or DD Dodds and Son
” Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Lincs Firwood Co Ltd; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Failure to complete FLT thorough examinations when due
Wider context from the report “2. The evidence was that the FLTs at the Elm Farm site were seven months overdue for the annual Thorough Examination and had undergone a service since February 2019. The seat safety switch device on the FLTs had been defeated at some point prior to the incident. The seat safety switch device on one of the FLTs was defective
” Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Lincs Firwood Co Ltd; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Lack of health and safety competence
Wider context from the report “3. Evidence was heard at the inquest that a Health and Safety Consultant visited the sites at Lincs Firewood and Dodds and Son in October and November 2020, following Mr Richardson’s death. The Consultant found there was little understanding of the importance of health and safety because there were no systems in place although working on high risk machinery. The perception of risk was found to be “poor” and “no one had taken the time or understood the importance to become competent in health and safety prior to the incident ”
” Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Lincs Firwood Co Ltd; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Leptospirosis risk from goods in the yard
Wider context from the report “5. An email dated 11 November 2020 from Boston District Council to Health and Safety Executive referred to a visit made to the site that day which found “Refusal to accept the nature of the goods in the yard presents a leptospirosis risk but agreed to issue pocket cards!” and “Some doubt as to the interpretation of the LOLER regs” [which applied to the use and operation of the machinery on site].
” Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Lincs Firwood Co Ltd; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Uncertainty in interpretation of LOLER regulations for machinery use and operation
Wider context from the report “5. An email dated 11 November 2020 from Boston District Council to Health and Safety Executive referred to a visit made to the site that day which found “Refusal to accept the nature of the goods in the yard presents a leptospirosis risk but agreed to issue pocket cards!” and “Some doubt as to the interpretation of the LOLER regs ” [which applied to the use and operation of the machinery on site].
” Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Lincs Firwood Co Ltd; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Insufficient FLT operator training and competence
Wider context from the report “1. Evidence was heard at the inquest that Mr Richardson, aged 18 years, had joined Lincs Firewood some 18 days prior to his death and had undergone training to use a FLT some 6 days prior to his death . He was left alone on a site for approximately 1 hour 20 minutes, which he had visited on one occasion a few days prior to his death.
” Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Lincs Firwood Co Ltd; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Failure to maintain effective FLT seat safety switch devices
Wider context from the report “2. The evidence was that the FLTs at the Elm Farm site were seven months overdue for the annual Thorough Examination and had undergone a service since February 2019. The seat safety switch device on the FLTs had been defeated at some point prior to the incident. The seat safety switch device on one of the FLTs was defective
” Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Lincs Firwood Co Ltd; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Failure to address or challenge reported safety findings
Wider context from the report “4. As at the time of making the Report in September 2021, no feedback had been received disagreeing with or challenging any of the findings in the Report
” Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Lincs Firwood Co Ltd; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Poor perception of risks associated with high-risk machinery
Wider context from the report “3. Evidence was heard at the inquest that a Health and Safety Consultant visited the sites at Lincs Firewood and Dodds and Son in October and November 2020, following Mr Richardson’s death. The Consultant found there was little understanding of the importance of health and safety because there were no systems in place although working on high risk machinery. The perception of risk was found to be “poor” and “no one had taken the time or understood the importance to become competent in health and safety prior to the incident”
” Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Lincs Firwood Co Ltd; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Failure to provide adequate supervision for inexperienced workers operating on site
Wider context from the report “1. Evidence was heard at the inquest that Mr Richardson, aged 18 years, had joined Lincs Firewood some 18 days prior to his death and had undergone training to use a FLT some 6 days prior to his death. He was left alone on a site for approximately 1 hour 20 minutes, which he had visited on one occasion a few days prior to his death.
” Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Lincs Firwood Co Ltd; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Lack of health and safety management systems for high-risk machinery
Wider context from the report “3. Evidence was heard at the inquest that a Health and Safety Consultant visited the sites at Lincs Firewood and Dodds and Son in October and November 2020, following Mr Richardson’s death. The Consultant found there was little understanding of the importance of health and safety because there were no systems in place although working on high risk machinery . The perception of risk was found to be “poor” and “no one had taken the time or understood the importance to become competent in health and safety prior to the incident”
” Open source report
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Information checked against published PFD reports and official responses · Data reviewed 7 Sep 2026 · About data quality and limitations