Phone may have distracted Aberdeen forklift death worker

The forklift struck Mr Bagrowski in 2016

A worker killed by a forklift truck in Aberdeen may have been distracted by his phone, a sheriff has said.

Daniel Bagrowski, 30, died after the incident at EIS Waste Services in Nigg, Aberdeen, in October 2016.

The driver did not see him. He suffered "instantaneously fatal injuries".

After a fatal accident inquiry (FAI), Sheriff Ian Wallace said the most likely explanation for Mr Bagrowski not paying sufficient attention was that he was distracted by his mobile phone.

The use of mobiles was prohibited on the waste recycling facility site.

• Two deaths at north east businesses

The FAI judgement said married father-of-two Mr Bagrowski, the site supervisor, walked into the yard and turned his back to an approaching forklift truck.

'Tragic death'

The driver did not spot him so took no evasive action.

The sheriff said a precaution which could reasonably have been taken and might have avoided Mr Bagrowski's death was a requirement that a forklift driver could not proceed through the yard until he had been directed it was safe to do so.

The driver had restricted forward visibility due to the masts and attachments on the front of the forklift, and the container that was being carried.

Mr Bagrowski was described as a "well-respected and highly valued member of EIS staff" with significant training and experience.

The sheriff concluded: "Daniel Bagrowski was by all accounts both a valued employee and a committed family man.

"I would like to conclude this determination by expressing my condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues. They will all have been greatly affected by his tragic death."