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.
A lift plan can look straightforward until the accessories are added. Heavier shackles increase the suspended load. A load-specific sling-angle restriction can require longer legs and more headroom. A chain block may help position the load, but it also adds weight and height. These details can change whether the proposed arrangement will work.
A free reference to help you build the complete picture
All Star Safety’s 42-page lifting accessory reference helps Appointed Persons, lift supervisors and trainees find capacities, weights and dimensions, then compare different arrangements. It brings together named manufacturer data, dimension drawings, angle guidance and worked examples in an A4 handout.
Use it when developing a theoretical lift plan, checking an accessory schedule or exploring a different rigging arrangement. The useful question is whether the complete assembly suits the load, attachment points and available space.
We have made every effort to ensure the data is accurate at the date of issue. You must still check it yourself against current manufacturer instructions and the actual equipment before relying on it.
1. Calculate the mass of the whole suspended arrangement
Start with a verified load mass, then list everything suspended below the crane hook: complete sling assemblies, shackles, lifting points, hoists, beams and any other attachments. Establish what is already included in the stated load mass so that each item is counted once.
Worked example: a 10,000 kg load plus 500 kg of accessories gives a physical gross mass of 10,500 kg at the crane hook. In this example, the 500 kg includes every accessory below the hook, and none is already included in the load mass.
Use that complete arrangement when assessing crane capacity, following the crane manufacturer’s load-chart basis and required deductions, including the treatment of the hook block. Keep any planning or booking allowance explicit and separate from the physical mass calculation.
A common trap: shortening a chain sling changes its working length, but it does not remove the weight of chain that remains suspended. Include the complete assembly and retained chain.
2. Check how the sling angle affects headroom
A tighter angle limit can change the rigging you need. For example, a particular tank’s manufacturer may limit the included angle between accessories to 60° or less. That restriction takes precedence over a course convention or the wider angle permitted by a sling’s capacity chart.
Consider two equal, free sling legs connecting points 2.000 m apart at the same elevation. The included angle is the angle between the two legs; each leg is at half that angle from vertical.
Included angle
Free length of each leg
Vertical rise to the upper junction
90°
1.414 m
1.000 m
60°
2.000 m
1.732 m
Idealised geometry, rounded to the nearest millimetre. Fitting offsets and operational clearances are additional.
For the same 2 m spacing, the 60° arrangement requires longer free legs and 732 mm more vertical rise. This compares two different leg lengths; you cannot make that change simply by altering the angle of a fixed-length sling while keeping the attachment spacing unchanged.
Check the assembly’s working load limit for the actual configuration and angle, together with the load’s lifting-point restrictions. A larger sling does not increase the capacity of the lifting eye beneath it.
3. Build hook height from consistent reference points
Map the arrangement from the load’s attachment points to the crane hook bearing point. Add the relevant vertical contributions of the free sling legs, connectors, master link, hoist or other equipment, then allow for the load’s required position and operating clearance.
Read the dimension drawing: an overall dimension may differ from the distance between the bearing points needed in your calculation.
Check what the stated length includes: a complete sling’s effective working length is not automatically the free inclined leg length. Avoid adding end fittings twice.
Distinguish hoist dimensions: a chain block’s height of lift is not its closed headroom.
Recalculate after a substitution: a different shackle, lifting point or hoist can change mass, fit and height even when its headline capacity looks suitable.
Five checks before you finalise the arrangement
Load: confirm mass, centre of gravity, orientation and the manufacturer’s lifting instructions.
Connections: check attachment-point ratings, direction of pull, sling mode and angles, and physical compatibility.
Accessories: record the exact products, complete assembly masses and the dimensions used in your calculation.
Crane and space: assess the planned operating radius and height against the correct crane configuration and load chart, including required deductions and clearances.
Changes: review substitutions and changed site conditions, update the plan and make sure the lifting team understands the agreed arrangement.
These calculations are part of the wider lift plan. Ground conditions, access, the load route, people, weather and supervision also need consideration. HSE’s guidance on planning and organising lifting operations explains how planning, competence and resources should reflect the work and its risks.
What you will find in the download
The reference covers lifting eyes and swivel lifting points; shackles; chain, textile and wire-rope slings; master links; chain blocks; and selected handling attachments. Higher-capacity selections include the corresponding published masses, with manufacturer illustrations showing what the dimensions refer to.
Worked comparisons and an arrangement worksheet help you assess alternative accessories. Manufacturer identities and source links are retained, and historical Q45 information is clearly separated from current product ranges.
The handout labels All Star Safety’s 10%/25% planning allowances and normal 90° included-angle training convention separately from manufacturer limits and statutory requirements. Apply the tighter restriction imposed by the load or any component.
The free All Star Safety reference is formatted for A4 printing.
Check the source before using the figures
Product specifications can change, and equipment with similar names or capacities may have different weights, dimensions and limitations. Verify the exact product and assembly, the working load limit for its mode and angle, total accessory weight, dimensions, compatibility and load-specific restrictions.
Resolve missing, inconsistent or uncertain information before using it in a lift plan. The reference supports competent planning; it does not replace the manufacturer’s instructions, equipment checks or a lift-specific assessment. Please tell us if you identify a discrepancy so we can review and correct it.
RUD VLBG-PLUS instructions — product-specific installation and loading guidance for the identified RUD range. Follow the links in the PDF for other manufacturers.
Put the planning into practice with All Star Safety
Lift planning and consultancy: if you need a lift plan prepared, an independent review of an existing plan or Appointed Person support, our lifting operations consultancy services can help. Get us involved while you are selecting the equipment and arrangement, when there is still time to resolve questions.
Training for your team: our bespoke in-house safety training can be tailored to your working environment. Talk to us about the lifting topics your team needs to strengthen, such as accessory selection, gross-load calculations, hook-height checks and communicating the plan.
Need help preparing or reviewing a lift plan, developing your team’s skills or choosing a lifting NVQ? Get in touch with All Star Safety. Tell us about the load, equipment, site or training need and your proposed timescale, and we can discuss the support you require.
Could Someone Reach the Dangerous Parts of Your Machinery?
A machine may have been used without incident for years, but that does not make an exposed drive, belt, roller or blade acceptable. A new HSE prosecution in East Anglia is a timely reminder that machinery guarding must physically prevent access to dangerous parts — and that training or instructions are not substitutes for proper engineering controls.
An employee removed a cardboard box from a running conveyor and his hand became entangled in the machinery. He suffered a broken finger and bruising to three other fingers, required surgery and was unable to work for six weeks.
HSE found that the business had failed to prevent access to dangerous parts of the conveyor. Easy Cleaning Solutions Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and was fined £100,000 plus £6,468.18 in costs.
Although this incident occurred in manufacturing rather than construction, the underlying requirement applies to work equipment across construction workshops, fabrication facilities, plant yards and other workplaces. PUWER defines work equipment very widely, covering machinery, appliances, apparatus, tools and installations used at work.
What does PUWER actually require?
Regulation 11 of PUWER 1998 requires employers to take effective measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery or to stop the movement of dangerous parts before a person enters the danger zone.
Importantly, PUWER establishes a hierarchy of protective measures. Physical prevention comes before reliance on human behaviour.
The starting point is normally fixed guards or enclosures. Where those are not practicable, other guards or protection devices should be considered, followed where appropriate by jigs, holders or similar devices. Information, instruction, training and supervision sit further down that hierarchy rather than replacing the higher-order controls.
That distinction matters.
A warning sticker saying “keep hands clear” does not make an accessible roller safe. Neither does a toolbox talk, a trained operator or a written instruction telling people not to reach into the machinery.
If someone can foreseeably reach a dangerous moving part during normal operation, the first question should be how access can be physically prevented.
When should a fixed guard become an interlocked guard?
HSE guidance says fixed guarding will normally be the preferred method of preventing access to dangerous parts. A fixed guard should require a deliberate action, normally involving tools or secure fixings, before it can be removed.
However, some machines need regular access for loading, adjustment, inspection, cleaning or clearing material.
Where routine access is genuinely necessary, HSE advises that an interlocked guard may be more appropriate. The interlock should prevent the dangerous movement from operating while the guard is open and, where necessary, prevent the guard being opened until movement has stopped.
This is particularly relevant to:
Conveyors and rollers.
Workshop saws.
Fabrication machinery.
Cutting and forming equipment.
Plant-processing equipment.
Crushers and screening equipment.
Machinery where blockages or offcuts require regular removal.
The correct safeguarding arrangement depends on the particular machine and risk. Simply replacing a missing fixed panel with an easily removable cover may not be sufficient if workers must repeatedly remove it during normal production.
What about clearing jams, cleaning and maintenance?
Some of the most dangerous interactions with machinery happen when the equipment is not performing normally.
A blockage develops. Material becomes trapped. Something sounds wrong. A worker reaches in to investigate.
PUWER applies not only to normal operation but also to activities including starting, stopping, repairing, maintaining, servicing and cleaning work equipment.
For maintenance, HSE guidance says plant and equipment should be made safe before work starts. In most cases that means stopping the machinery and isolating energy supplies. Where accidental reconnection is possible, locking off may be necessary. Stored hydraulic, pneumatic, gravitational or other energy may also need to be released or physically restrained.
PUWER regulation 19 separately requires suitable means of isolating work equipment from all sources of energy where appropriate, with the isolation means clearly identifiable and readily accessible.
A useful rule for supervisors is therefore:
If somebody needs to put part of their body into an area normally protected by a guard, normal operating controls should not automatically be treated as safe isolation.
The appropriate method should be determined through the machinery risk assessment and manufacturer’s instructions.
Why training cannot compensate for missing guards
Training remains important. Regulation 9 of PUWER requires people using work equipment to receive adequate training for health and safety purposes, including the methods to be used, risks arising from use and precautions to be taken.
Managers and supervisors also need enough knowledge to recognise unsafe machinery arrangements and challenge practices such as removed guards, defeated interlocks or inadequate isolation. IOSH Managing Safely provides practical training in risk assessment, hazard control, legal responsibilities and incident investigation for people responsible for managing or supervising others. For employees and operatives, IOSH Working Safely provides a broader introduction to identifying hazards and reducing workplace risks.
But training is not permission to operate fundamentally unsafe machinery.
A competent, experienced employee can still make an error, react instinctively to a blockage or become distracted. Machinery safeguarding is designed on the basis that foreseeable human interaction needs to be controlled.
This is why the hierarchy matters. Engineering controls should prevent the worker reaching the danger in the first place wherever reasonably practicable.
The same principle should inform supervision. If operators routinely defeat an interlock, remove a guard, prop open a cover or use an improvised method to clear material while machinery is running, simply reminding them of the rules is unlikely to resolve the underlying problem.
Managers should ask why the unsafe behaviour has become convenient or necessary.
It may reveal:
A poorly designed access arrangement.
Repeated blockages.
Unrealistic production pressure.
An unsuitable machine for the task.
A damaged or unreliable interlock.
Inadequate isolation arrangements.
A maintenance problem that has become accepted as normal.
What should you do now?
Businesses using powered machinery should take the HSE prosecution as an opportunity to walk their workplace and look at the equipment as it is actually used — not simply as it appeared when the risk assessment was first written.
Start with machinery capable of drawing, trapping, crushing, cutting or entangling someone.
Check:
Are all original guards present and secure?
Can hands, fingers, clothing or tools reach belts, chains, rollers, blades, gears or drive components?
Have guards been modified, removed or defeated?
Do interlocks actually stop dangerous movement?
Are emergency stops accessible and functioning?
How are routine blockages cleared?
How is machinery isolated before maintenance?
Can stored energy cause unexpected movement?
Are operators trained in the actual safe method?
Are supervisors challenging shortcuts?
Are recurring machinery faults being repaired rather than worked around?
Where a machine has been modified, refurbished or adapted, the safeguarding should also be reviewed. HSE confirms that refurbished and modified machinery must remain safe in use and meet PUWER requirements.
For higher-risk or unfamiliar machinery, specialist engineering input may be necessary. The objective is not simply to produce another PUWER checklist; it is to confirm that a person cannot foreseeably reach a dangerous moving part.
Frequently asked questions
Can a machine be used temporarily with a guard removed?
Not merely because the period is short. Where the guard is necessary to prevent access to dangerous parts, operating without it could breach PUWER. Any exceptional activity requiring access must be properly assessed and controlled using suitable safeguarding, isolation or another engineered method appropriate to the task.
Is an emergency stop a substitute for a guard?
No. Emergency stops are an additional protective measure. HSE’s machinery-safety hierarchy prioritises preventing access to dangerous parts through guards and safeguarding arrangements.
Can trained maintenance staff work on moving machinery?
Most maintenance should be carried out with machinery stopped and isolated. There are specialist circumstances where work cannot be undertaken completely de-energised, but these require specific assessment and additional controls rather than simply relying on experience or training.
Does PUWER apply to old machinery?
Yes. PUWER applies to work equipment used at work, including older equipment. Older machinery may in fact require particular attention where guarding standards, modifications or previous repairs have changed over time.
All Star Safety provides health and safety consultancy and workplace auditing across construction, engineering and industrial environments, including reviews of risk assessments, equipment controls and safe systems of work.
For businesses employing plant mechanics and maintenance technicians, our workplace-based Plant Maintenance NVQs assess competence through the inspection, servicing, fault diagnosis and repair activities people already undertake at work.
How to book
Ready to start now?
Use the Add to basket section on this page to select the number of learners you want to book for, then complete checkout and pay online to start the process.
Prefer to book through the office?
For help with your booking, other booking arrangements, or advice before paying, contact our team:
Questions before booking?
Contact our office to discuss any questions and find out more before you book. Our team can explain the course or qualification, how learning and assessment work, and help you choose the right option.
Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
