Firm fined over worker on forklift-raised pallet

An employee was spotted working from height while standing on a pallet raised by a forklift truck

A company has been fined after a worker was spotted standing on a pallet being held aloft by a forklift truck.

European Active Projects Limited was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for breaching working at height regulations.

The company was fined £100,000 and ordered to pay £5,730 in costs at Maidstone Magistrates’ Court.

The incident happened at Ramsgate Harbour in Kent on 8 July, 2022.

The workplace regulator was alerted by a member of the public who videoed the act.

The worker was part of a team of three who were removing work equipment from the deck of a boat in the harbour’s slipway.

As scaffolding had already been removed, the workers raised a pallet to the deck with a forklift truck and then used it as a mobile platform to remove items from the boat.

European Active Projects Limited was fined £100,000 and ordered to pay £5,730 in costs

The HSE investigation found the company had failed to provide a safe method of removing equipment located on the vessel’s deck.

European Active Projects Limited, of Chatham, Kent, pleaded guilty to breaching working at height regulations.

HSE inspector Samuel Brown said the incident demonstrated the importance of planning and supervision when working at height.

“Clearly, lessons had not been learnt since the company’s previous prosecution in 2015,” he said.

“Falls from height are still the biggest cause of fatal accidents involving workers.

The risk of workers falling from the pallet and sustaining serious, possibly fatal, injuries should not be ignored.

“Fortunately, no workers were harmed.”

The company were previously fined £15,000 after workers were spotted walking on stacked containers at Chatham Docks in 2015.