My name is Tony Glover and I teach mechanical handling. When I think back, I seem to have always been teaching or training something. It started with canoeing soon after I left school.

From there, I went on to dinghies, powerboats, scuba diving and off shore yachting. I first started teaching mechanical handling in the late 1980’s. I teach on most mechanical handling equipment, from fork lift trucks to access equipment and cranes to specialist earth moving machines.

Driving several different machines each week is enjoyable but sometimes perplexing but after 25+ years, it does get easier. The interesting part of my job is to meet so many different people doing so many different occupations.

One day I’m in a garden centre, the next in an electronics company and the next in a steel works. Some of the trucks are new with computer screens and joystick controls. Others are nearly as old as me. (and you can guess which ones break down the least).

However, wherever I am, I find that putting people at their ease during training makes their life (and mine) much more relaxed.

I try to use my motorbike for work most of the year but when it gets too cold, I have an old 4×4. However, the heating in that packed up last year so if you see someone driving around wearing a winter coat, hat, gloves, scarf and a rug, it’s probably me!

Outside of work, much of my free time is taken up being the chairman of the parish council in the local village. Now, everyone knows me so if there’s a problem, I get to hear all about it, whatever the time.

Historic Banbury is famous for many things, specifically its cakes, the nursery rhyme “Ride a Cock Horse”, the Oxford Canal and Tooley’s Boat yard.

Banbury has a strong business district with numerous employment opportunities for residents of Banbury and nearby towns whether they want to work for a small, medium or large business.

Banbury is easily accessible to the M40 making Birmingham reachable in 40 minutes and London in 75 minutes. Banbury also has good rail links, a busy bus station, and large car parks.

Food Industry Employers
The world’s largest coffee-processing facility, Jacobs Douwe Egberts (formerly Birds/Kraft Foods) was built in 1964 in Banbury, Oxfordshire. One of Banbury’s major employers, the company has produced convenience foods such as Birds custard, Instant Whip, Angel Delight and instant coffee. Jacobs Douwe Egberts is the company’s centre for manufacturing in the U.K. and is located just north of the town centre. They are now just producing instant coffee.

Banbury is also famous for its scrumptious Banbury cakes which can now be ordered online and delivered almost anywhere in the world. The delicious cakes are oval-shaped puff pastries with succulent fillings.Another large business near Banbury is the 40-year-old Faccenda Group. They are a major player in the poultry industry and employ around 1500 people. Newly Weds Foods (formerly Witwood Food Products Ltd) are in the food processing and foodservice industries. They are recognised as the premier global purveyor of customised breaders, batters, seasonings, and functional ingredients.


Other Employers
In addition, Banbury is home to approximately 10 electrical appliance retailers and about 20 digital printing companies which employ numerous people in and around the town. The largest retail bank in the U.K., Lloyds Trustees Savings Banks, is a major employer in Banbury, Oxford and the surrounding areas. There are also several large transport, storage and warehousing companies based just off the M40 and several specialist car parts suppliers operating in the town.

Motorsports
Banbury is well-respected in the world of motor racing and is home to Prodrive, one of the largest motorsport and technology businesses in the world. The company’s headquarters are located in Banbury. Prodrive is best known for its association with motorsports; however in the last 10 years the company has diversified into the technology industry becoming a business that provides a variety of technology-related services to a wide range of customers.

Top Employers in Past Years
The rich employment history in Banbury goes back over 1,000 years to medieval times when the town was home to 4 mills. The forerunner of the renowned Butchers Row began in Banbury in the 15th century. During the Victorian age, Banbury was home to Western Europe’s largest cattle market. In the modern age, the Northern Aluminum Company opened in Banbury in 1931, but the 53-acre site was closed in 2007, and also closing in 2007 was the ironmonger company, Hoods, which had started up in the area in the mid-1960s.

Banbury continues to be a haven for top employers in the modern age. The ever-expanding digital revolution has not left Banbury out of the loop. One of the recording industry’s newest record labels, Rust, is now located in Banbury. Companies like Web Services that specialize in online website development, server and network solutions are popping up all over this Oxfordshire town. There is no shortage of industry and business in and around Banbury.


Local Business Resources:
Local Solicitors – Johnson and Gaunt
Birthday and Celebration Cakes – Cakes for All UK

Sponsored by Stackers Training, forklift training courses in Banbury

A scrap metal firm and its director have been sentenced after a Manchester worker suffered severe injuries to his left arm when it became stuck in a forklift truck.


The worker remained trapped for over two hours while the emergency services tried to free his arm from the vehicle’s mast on 8 November 2013.
The company and director were prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after it emerged he had been told to stand on the forks of the truck to help move scrap cars into the back of a shipping container.

The worker suffered severe crush injuries when his arm became trapped and it took the combined effort of three fire crews, a specialist major rescue unit, two air ambulances, a medical team from Manchester Royal Infirmary and three ambulance crews to rescue him.

He sustained nerve damage to his left arm which makes it difficult for him to grip or lift items, and was in hospital for nearly two months. He still needs to visit Manchester Royal Infirmary for treatment and has been unable to return to work due to the extent of his injuries.

The court was told the company failed to report the incident to HSE for nearly three months, despite being told on several occasions that this was a legal requirement.

For the full story see Press

The purpose of daily checks is to ensure that the fork lift is in a safe and sound condition prior to being used, and only by carrying out these checks is the operator able to make certain that the machine is safe for use.

The checks may also highlight minor faults which if repaired early, will prevent them from developing into costly major repairs.
All faults found during the checks must be recorded and immediately reported to the supervisor and under no circumstances should any machine be used if found to be in an unsafe condition.

Likewise should any fault develop during the shift, the operator should park the truck as safely as possible, remove the key and report the fault to supervisor.

A specified daily checklist should be provided and must be kept for at least six months. Stackers can provide daily inspection booklets at minimal cost and we can tailor these to suit your requirements, ie, shift system, gas diesel or battery powered trucks, etc. Please contact us if you would like a quotation for some daily inspection booklets.

An example of the things that need to be checked:

• Electrolyte level: The correct protective clothing must be worn when topping up or checking electrolyte levels.

• Fuel, Oil and Water levels (if applicable): Fuel, Oil and Water levels are correct – top up where necessary.

• Visual check of forks, carriage, mast: Check for distortion, wear, obvious damage.

• Hydraulic hoses: Check for damage, cracks or signs of leakage.

• Lifting Chains: Check load chain for missing pins, broken links, rust, grit or swarf, etc.

• Wheels/Tyres: Correct pressure, worn, damaged or split tyres, wheel nuts.

• Visual all round check:Check guards, covers, overhead guards, seat, seat adjuster. Check for any missing covers, loose bolts, nuts, etc.

It should be noted that checks carried out so far are carried out before mounting and starting the machine. Having carried out these checks the operator should mount the truck and commence carrying out the rest of the daily checks.


• Safety devices, including audible warning and horn: Check for correct operation.

• Hydraulics: Hydraulic controls – hoist, tilt, reach are all working correctly.

• Foot brake: Check foot brake in both forward and reverse directions. Check for smooth operation on the forwards and reverse action.

• Check parking/emergency brake: Check parking brake holds the truck when parked and stops the truck in an emergency. Check that the emergency brake is in the correct working order.

• Steering: Check for excessive play, tightness, looseness in steering wheel linkage.

• Check floor for leaks: Check floor for leaks from any hydraulic hoses, engine compartment, etc.

All checks should be carried out in accordance with the Manufacturer’s instructions and recommended workplace procedures.

Under section 2, sub-section 2(a) of the Health and Safety at Work Act, the employer does have a duty to provide and maintain safe plant and systems of work, and the employee has a duty of reasonable care of himself and others under section 7 of the Act, each employee also has a duty to co-operate with their employer under this section

A construction firm and a contract worker have been fined after a man was killed and two others injured at a building site in Banbury, Oxfordshire.

Michael Whateley, 28, of Northampton, died in January 2008 after the car he was in was crushed by a fork-lift boom.

The fork-lift driver, Keith Payne, of Gillett Road, Banbury, was fined £7,000 at Oxford Crown Court for breaching health and safety regulations.

Uxbridge-based Linden Limited was fined £7,500 and £25,000 costs.

The company admitted at an earlier hearing to failing to maintain the fork-lift truck properly.

‘Lives destroyed’

The accident happened as Mr Payne was carrying out routine checks of the fork-lift’s telescopic arm.

As the boom was extended, the fork-lift toppled and the boom crushed the car. Mr Whateley’s brother, Robert, and Paul Keen, also from Northampton, were injured.

Robert Whateley suffered fractures to his spine, and a brain injury. Mr Keen suffered neck and spinal injuries, a broken ankle, broken ribs and a fractured breastbone.

The Health and Safety Executive said the incident would have been preventable if Mr Payne had operated the machinery on level ground.

Instead, he extended the boom of the machine to its limits while it was not suitably positioned.

The HSE said Linden Limited had failed to ensure the equipment was maintained properly and tyre pressures were found to be lower than recommended.

HSE inspector James Powell said: “This was a horrific accident that was totally avoidable.

“Lives have been destroyed here and today’s sentencing must serve to remind all employers and employees of their duties and responsibilities while using this type of machinery.” Source from BBC.co.uk

Don’t put off forklift training

During the day to day operations of a Company it can be difficult to think about releasing employees to undertake a formal training course. It may appear quicker and easier for another operative to show a new employee the workings of the forklift truck but this will not be sufficient if the worst happens.

A company in Essex have found out the hard way. An employee working at a warehouse in Rayleigh was standing taking parcels from a cage when he was struck by a load carried by a forklift truck driven by another employee. He sustained a broken hip and spent a significant amount of time off work. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that the person operating the truck had received no relevant suitable training. Management were aware that the employee was operating the truck occasionally before the incident.

The company was fined £18,000 and the HSE was awarded full prosecution costs of £1,302. For the full article visit the HSE website
http://press.hse.gov.uk/2015/forklift-collision-injures-worker/

Building firm fined over Banbury forklift death