A packaging manufacturer based in Richmond was slapped with a $290,548 fine after a worker died from being struck by falling pallets.
The loaded pallets were stacked against a wall to a height of six loaded pallets at about 6.3 metres high, according to the report. The worker was tasked with unstacking two rows of loaded pallets and sorting them by date and had managed to remove the front row over the 10-day work period before the incident.
In the report, WorkSafeBC found the bundles of pallets had "several characteristics that made them inherently unstable," including slippery laminated surfaces, inconsistent palletization, poor unitization, missing slats on pallets, lack of straps around the bundles, rounded upper surfaces and changes due to humidity.
While GLBC identified issues with the litho-laminated boxes, they were not taken into consideration for stacking the pallets, said WorkSafeBC. "The joint health and safety committee was therefore unaware of those incidents and hazards and was not able to properly identify the development of hazardous trends or to recommend corrective measures."
Finally, WorkSafeBC found GLBC failed to ensure the warehouse's supervisor and logistics manager received adequate training to supervise the warehouse. Forklift operators also lacked training for stacking pallets loaded with litho-laminated boxes, and they handled the pallets in a similar manner to those loaded with other types of corrugated cardboard.