WorkSafeBC fined a Richmond, British Columbia-based packaging company nearly $300,000 after pallets fell and killed a worker.

The incident occurred in December 2022 at a warehouse owned by Great Little Box Company (GLBC), which handles packaging for a wide range of industries from beauty to manufacturing to food and beverage.

At the time, a forklift operator was lowering a stack of six pallets loaded with boxes that reached a height of more than six meters when he left to chat with a coworker, according to the incident report issued by the agency. Before he could reach the vehicle on his way back, a bundle of two pallets—weighing about 340 kilograms—fell on him.

There were no witnesses to the incident, the report states, but his coworkers searched for him and called 911 after another forklift operator heard the falling pallets. He later died from his injuries.

In April, WorkSafeBC issued GLBC a fine of $290,548.37 for this incident and related "high-risk violations." In particular, it detailed the company's "insufficient" risk assessment, supervision, and training, which it says contributed to the death.

Brad Tindal, president of GLBC, acknowledged the worker's death in a statement to CBC News.

He said, “We lost a beloved coworker in December 2022. This has had a profound impact on the family and our organization, and we struggle to express this loss in words.”

He added that the company is working to improve safety at its worksites.

Tindal stated, “We continue to work closely with WorkSafeBC and have taken immediate action to comply with their recommendations and guidance, implementing new safety improvements along with rigorous training and inspection programs.”

The maximum legal penalty for the agency in 2024 is $783,068.26. It states that the amount depends on the nature of the violation, the company’s history of violations, and the size of the company’s payroll.

According to WorkSafeBC, the bundle that fell on the worker was "inherently unstable."

The agency described GLBC’s process for creating a bundle as plastic wrapping for two loaded pallets.

It added that the process lacked features such as strapping around the bundle and load locks on the pallets, which could have helped stabilize it.

There was also no company-wide stacking policy, it states.

The report also highlighted gaps in other safety policies. For example, GLBC had a hazard reporting system since around 2012. However, WorkSafeBC found that not all falling object incidents were reported, and it was "unclear" to workers whether they needed to notify the system when no one was affected or when the issue was already corrected.

According to the report, there were at least six documented incidents, including one where a falling pallet “struck” a forklift operator, in the three years leading up to the worker's death in 2022.

The agency added that GLBC "did not consistently comply" with formal investigation procedures related to this matter.

Just one month before the death, a forklift hazard identification document was created, the report says. Notably, the document identified the risk of operators being injured by falling pallets.