In May 2023, a 62-year-old employee of a company in Den Bosch was trapped under a load of pallets during work activities. The man did not survive the accident. The Dutch Labor Inspectorate initiated an investigation under the direction of the Functional Public Prosecution Service. This investigation revealed that the employer had not done enough at the time to prevent the fatal workplace accident. Therefore, the employer pays a penalty of 60,000 euros. The employer has deposited 10,000 euros into the account of the Foundation for Workplace Accidents.
The accident occurred on May 12 in a hall of the company. The victim was working with two colleagues to clean up the company premises. The victim drove a reach truck into an aisle. In the aisle, there were pallets with boxes. Four boxes were stacked on each pallet. At one point, a pallet fell down. A weight of over three hundred kilos fell on the victim. The victim was found partially under this pallet, a few meters away from his reach truck. Unfortunately, help was in vain. The victim died on the spot, leaving behind a wife and (grand)children.
It is not entirely clear how the pallet could fall. There were more boxes stacked on top of each other than allowed. Workers were also insufficiently informed about the risks of working in such an environment with stacked pallets. This constitutes a violation of the Working Conditions Act.
The company fully cooperated with the investigation and took measures following the accident. The company now conducts weekly safety rounds and has a procedure for checking incoming pallets. During a re-inspection, the Labor Inspectorate was satisfied with the improvements made. Earlier, the company had already voluntarily deposited 10,000 euros into the Foundation for Workplace Accidents, which is dedicated to assisting the families of workplace accident victims.
Due to the attitude of the accused and the improvements regarding safe working, the Public Prosecution Service finds a penalty of 60,000 euros appropriate.