Jaisukh Chandarana, a partner of Indian food firm Simtom Food Products, in Desford, asked an 18-year-old worker to unload barrels from the container at the firm’s Merry Lees factory. The barrels were stored in layers with plywood separating each layer.
The teenage worker, who has asked not to be named, was lifted on a pallet raised by a fork lift truck in order to climb onto a stack of pallets near the container doors.
Dragging barrels
Leicester Magistrates' Court heard that while dragging barrels onto the pallet held at height by the fork lift, he fell about two metres.
After bruising severely his abdomen and spraining his shoulder and wrist, he was off work for several weeks.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted Chandarana for the accident which took place on 4 January 2011.
Chandarana pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £7,500 with costs of £1,380.
Speaking after the hearing HSE inspector Alison Cook said: “Had a safe system of unloading been used then this incident would not have happened. Lifting people up on pallets on a fork lift is utterly unacceptable because of the potential consequences of a fall. It was pure luck that a young man was not more seriously injured.
Contracted out
"Since the incident Mr Chandarana has contracted out unloading to a firm with a level loading dock to eliminate the risk of a fall. It is a pity someone had to be hurt for this to be chosen."
Chandarana told the publication This is Leicester: "We are very sorry for the incident and the injuries which the gentleman suffered. It was absolutely a one-off. We co-operated fully with the HSE and now employ a logistics company to carry out unloading work."
Meanwhile, more than 4,000 employees suffered major injuries after falling from height at work last year, according to the HSE.