Aberdeen shipping company fined over £146,000 after worker ran over by forklift truck

An Aberdeenshire shipping company has been fined more than £146,000 after a man suffered life-changing injuries when he was dragged to the ground by a forklift truck.

The yard operative was working for Streamline Shipping Agencies Limited at Palmerston Quay, its Aberdeen Harbour premises, when he was on foot and unclipping the curtain side of an articulated trailer on September 26, 2024.

While doing this, the rear nearside wheel of a reversing forklift truck driven by a colleague made contact with his right leg, pulling him to the ground.

The 43-year-old suffered multiple fractures to his right foot and lower leg, as well as a de-gloving injury, undergoing two surgical procedures and skin grafts.

He also required counselling because of the incident and has yet to return to work.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found that the company failed to ensure the workplace was organised to allow pedestrians and vehicles to circulate safely.

Despite a traffic management plan being in place, it lacked the necessary detail to ensure that loading and unloading, which routinely took place concurrently in the same area, could be carried out safely without putting employees on foot at risk from moving vehicles.

The Health and Safety Executive concluded that an employee on foot faced a risk of being struck by a moving vehicle when both the pedestrian and the driver were concentrating on their respective tasks, with the two near each other.

By law, employers must ensure traffic routes can be used without putting workers at risk.

Streamline Shipping Agencies Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 17(1) of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 and Section 33(1)(c) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

The company was fined £146,700 and ordered to pay a Victim Surcharge of £11,000 at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on May 22, 2026.

Following the investigation, an Improvement Notice was served on the company, and Streamline made a series of improvements to its traffic management arrangements,

HSE inspector Nicky Smith said: “This was a serious and wholly avoidable incident that has had a profound and lasting impact on this worker’s life.

Employers have a legal duty to ensure that pedestrians and vehicles can move safely within their workplaces, particularly in busy areas where loading and unloading take place.

“Having a traffic management plan is not enough if it does not contain the details needed to protect workers on the ground.

“We will not hesitate to hold companies to account when they fall short of their obligations.”