Dumbarton Sheriff Court heard that Stuart McNaught, a joiner for William Fulton Building Services Ltd, suffered a broken rib, pelvis, punctured lung and fractures to both legs after he slipped on ice and was trapped by the load, weighing 1925kg, which fell off a forklift.

The court heard that the forks were iced up and the road had not been gritted.

Mr McNaught was off work for five months after the accident at a house in Cochno Road East, Duntocher, on January 6, 2011.

William Fulton Building Services Ltd, of Drymen Road, Bearsden, was prosecuted after a HSE investigation found that the company failed to address how the plasterboard could be lifted and moved safely, particularly at the time when the site was badly affected by ice.

The employer pleaded guilty to breaching a section of the Health and Safety at Work Act.

Moira Jennings, inspector for the Health and Safety Executive, said: “This incident was clearly foreseeable and therefore avoidable. Working below a forklift truck is dangerous and the company should have carried out a proper risk assessment.

“This would have identified the risks of moving materials around the site and to employees standing near the plasterboard while it was being unloaded from an elevated position.

“The plasterboard should have been placed flat on the ground in the yard or at the entrance rather than expecting people to collect them from an elevated position on the raised forks of the vehicle.

“William Fulton should have ensured he had good visual contact and communications with Mr McNaught, who should have been wearing a hi-vis vest and standing well away from the forklift as the load was lowered.”