Forklift trucks handle ordinary loads safely every day, which can make an unusual delivery look deceptively straightforward. A recent HSE prosecution shows why that assumption matters. When the load, equipment, people or unloading method differs from normal operations, businesses need to recognise that the established routine may no longer provide a suitable plan.
A 1.2-tonne crate exposed the gap in the normal system
On 15 September 2026, HSE reported the prosecution of Smith & Nephew Medical Ltd following an unloading operation in which a large crate fell from a forklift truck and seriously injured a delivery driver. The crate weighed approximately 1.2 tonnes and contained an electron microscope. HSE’s prosecution report says the task was not properly assessed, planned or supervised.
The original delivery arrangement was for the logistics company to provide its own forklift and driver. During COVID-19 restrictions, Smith & Nephew instead took responsibility for unloading the crate using its own equipment. HSE found that this changed operation had not been adequately considered, including who should be involved and what precautions were necessary.
The issue was not simply that a 1.2-tonne load was being handled by a forklift described as having a two-tonne capacity. HSE specifically found there had been no assessment of the truck’s suitability in relation to the characteristics of the load. The company was fined £230,000 and ordered to pay £111,000 in costs.
LOLER applies to forklift lifting operations
Forklifts are lifting equipment for the purposes of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. Regulation 8 of LOLER requires lifting operations involving lifting equipment to be properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised and carried out safely.
That does not mean producing a separate crane-style lift plan every time an experienced operator moves a standard pallet. HSE’s guidance allows routine operations to be planned proportionately, with the planning forming part of an established risk assessment and safe system of work where that is suitable.
The key question is whether the operation is still the operation that was planned. A large crate, uncertain centre of gravity, unfamiliar attachment, different unloading location or involvement of a delivery driver can all move the task beyond the normal system.
Rated capacity is only one part of the suitability check
A capacity plate should not be reduced to a simple rule that a load below the headline capacity is automatically safe. The load’s weight, dimensions, centre of gravity, load centre, fork engagement and the truck’s configuration all affect suitability and stability.
HSE’s guidance on planning lifting operations identifies overload, stability, load security, environment, location and de-rating among the matters that may need to be addressed. Manufacturer information should be used for the actual machine, attachment and configuration involved.
For example, a deep crate may place its centre of gravity much further forward than a conventional pallet. Attachments can also move the effective load centre or add weight at the carriage. The operator therefore needs the relevant capacity information, not an assumption based on a nominal machine rating.
Control who is involved before the forks move
Non-standard unloading often introduces people who are not normally part of the forklift operation. Delivery drivers may want to guide a load, remove packaging, steady an item or direct the operator. That can create an immediate interface risk if roles and safe positions have not been agreed.
In the recent case HSE found that the injured delivery driver was positioned unsafely and the unloading operation was not meaningfully controlled or supervised. The practical control is to define who directs the operation, who may enter the unloading area and when anyone is permitted to approach the load.
People who do not need to be involved should be kept clear. Where a third party does have a role, it should be understood before the lift begins rather than improvised while the load is suspended.
Routine plans need clear limits
The management challenge is recognising the point at which a familiar task has changed sufficiently that the existing controls need review. Useful triggers include an unusual load shape, uncertain weight or centre of gravity, a new attachment, restricted space, a changed unloading method or people participating who are not part of the normal team.
The response should remain proportionate. A modest variation may need a supervisor to check manufacturer data and agree an exclusion area. A more complex or uncertain lift may justify a written plan and additional competent input. If reliable load or capacity information is unavailable, the safe decision is to stop until it is obtained.
What should you do now?
- Define which forklift operations your normal procedure actually covers.
- Set clear triggers for additional planning and supervision.
- Obtain load weight, dimensions and centre-of-gravity information where these could affect stability or capacity.
- Check manufacturer capacity information for the actual configuration and load centre.
- Confirm forks and attachments are suitable and compatible.
- Control access to the unloading area and define any third-party role.
- Stop the operation where essential load or capacity information is missing.
Our professional view
Forklift incidents often arise not because a business has no rules, but because an operation that looks broadly familiar falls just outside them. Competent operators, inspected equipment and a good pallet-handling procedure do not automatically make the same truck suitable for an unusual crate under different site arrangements.
The most useful question for a supervisor is therefore not simply “can the forklift pick it up?” It is “does our existing plan genuinely cover what we are about to do?”
All Star Safety provides NPORS Industrial Counterbalance Forklift Truck training as part of our wider plant-training provision, alongside consultancy support where businesses need help reviewing non-standard lifting and unloading arrangements.