HEALTH and Safety officers are today investigating an incident at an Ipswich company after a worker was crushed between a lorry and a skip.Colin Goodchild, of Byland Close, Ipswich, was taken to hospital with injuries following the incident, which occurred around 1pm yesterday at Graham Builders & Plumbers Merchants in Great Whip Street.

HEALTH and Safety officers are today investigating an incident at an Ipswich company after a worker was crushed between a lorry and a skip.

Colin Goodchild, of Byland Close, Ipswich, was taken to hospital with injuries following the incident, which occurred around 1pm yesterday at Graham Builders & Plumbers Merchants in Great Whip Street.

Sources said a delivery lorry from an outside firm was manoeuvring in the forecourt when the 64-year-old became trapped against a skip.

Mr Goodchild, who has a wife, Patricia, and two children, was described as "conscious and breathing" at the scene before being taken in an ambulance with his family to Ipswich Hospital.

A spokeswoman at Ipswich Hospital said today that Mr Goodchild was in a "comfortable" state but was being kept under observation.

A source said Mr Goodchild has worked for the company for 25 years and is only weeks away from retiring. They added: "Colin is hard-working and diligent. He keeps his head down and gets on with the job."

Health and safety officers arrived at the scene shortly after the incident, but they refused to comment at this stage.

The manager of the company confirmed the event had happened and said: "It is in the hands of health and safety."

It is not yet clear whether officers from the Health and Safety Executive or Ipswich Borough Council's Environmental Health department were taking on the case.

However, incidents that involve warehouse and retail businesses like Graham Builders are in most cases investigated by the council.

Mark Wheeler, of the Health and Safety Executive, said that all health and safety officers have the same powers and would follow the same procedure in cases like this.

He said: "A safety inspector's job is to find out what happened or to find out whether there is any evidence of anyone failing to comply with health and safety regulations.

"Health and safety officers can make a company change the way they work, which is called an improvement notice. If someone is seriously injured or killed, the inspectors can serve a prohibition notice to stop certain work being done until further notice. In both incidents the company has the right to appeal."

There was no indication that Graham Builders & Plumbers Merchants was at fault.

Weblink: www.hse.gov.uk