A warehouseman fell about 20 feet from the arms of a forklift truck as he hurried to prepare a customer's order, a court heard.

Magistrates were told the accident, which sparked a health and safety inquiry, was brought on by pressure to meet client deadlines at Colchester Tile supplies.

They also heard of a lack of employees and lifting facilities at the Wyncolls Lane site and that no formal training was given to warehouse staff.

But despite its insistence that "top rate" safety policies were in place and that the injured man had been breaching rules, the company was fined £7,000.

At Colchester Magistrates' Court yesterday (Thursday) the firm admitted five summonses under health and safety regulations relating to the working environment, inadequate training and the misuse of machinery. These were dated between July 27 and September 23 last year.

Lilangi Cooke, prosecuting for Colchester Borough Council, said warehouseman Gary Carter had been hoisted up on the forks of a truck to reach boxes at the top of a stack.

"He said he knew this was wrong but said it was common practice," she added.

Mr Carter, who said he had asked for a lift because the proper equipment was not available at the time, suffered severe bruising and a cut over his eye, the court heard.

"Staff would be tempted to take risks to get the job done in time," said Miss Cooke.

When environmental health officers questioned warehouse staff, all admitted to being carried on the forklifts, she added.

"It was commonplace and carried out with the full knowledge of senior staff," said Miss Cooke.

She said Mr Carter's injuries could have been more serious if his fall had not been broken by shelving.

Jonathan Ripman, mitigating, said there were "top rate" policies in place governing safety but these had not been "fully indoctrinated" by the workforce.

Company policy stated being carried by a forklift was a sackable offence and all staff were given the document, he said.

Mr Ripman said the firm felt "badly let down" by the warehouse manager and added: "This was a flagrant abuse of company policy by two employees."

He said although there was a culture of "satisfying customer requirements" throughout the firm, the workers should have waited for the proper lifting equipment to become available.

Since the accident the company had invested in new equipment including a stock-picker lifting machine, said Mr Ripman.

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