A food manufacturing company has been fined £100,000 after a worker fell six metres from the back of a forklift.
Lincoln Magistrates Court heard how an employee of Fishgate Ltd in Brookenby, Lincs, was told to paint guttering and drainpipes on the outside of the factory. A forklift driver raised the employee up in an unsecured tote box to complete the job.
The employee fell to the ground and received a dislocated arm, cracked pelvis, broken foot and shattered leg.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found the work had not been properly planned and was not adequately supervises. The worker who received the injury was untrained and had not been shown how to properly complete the task.
Fishgate Ltd was found guilty of breaching section 21 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, fined £100,000 and ordered to pay £19,032.63 in costs.
Speaking after the trial, HSE inspector Samantha Farrar said: “This work activity should have been properly planned.
“The injured worker should have been given the correct equipment as well as instruction as to how to carry out the work. The company also failed to adequately supervise the activity which could have prevented the incident.”