Quick answer: Yes — plastic pallets remove several of the manual handling hazards that timber pallets create. They are lighter and more consistent in weight, and they have no nails or splinters, which lowers the risk of lifting strains, lacerations and puncture injuries. Plastic pallets are not a complete workplace safety solution, but they remove one hazard that shows up in warehouse injury registers year after year.
Ozkor is an Australian manufacturer of ISO 9001-certified plastic pallets and bulk bins. This article looks at how pallet material affects manual handling risk — a cost that rarely appears on a purchase order but often appears in the injury register.
Why are timber pallets a manual handling hazard?
Timber pallets create three recurring risks for the people who handle them:
- Weight and inconsistency. Timber absorbs moisture, so pallets vary in weight. A pallet that is heavier or more awkward than expected is a common cause of lifting and twisting strains.
- Splinters and nails. Timber splinters, and nails work loose over time. Both cause lacerations and puncture wounds exactly where hands go.
- Failure under load. A cracked or warped board can give way during handling, causing a load to shift or drop.
These are not rare, dramatic events. They are the small, repeated injuries that accumulate across every shift, every site and every week of the year.
How do plastic pallets reduce injury risk?
Plastic pallets remove the specific hazards timber introduces:
- Lighter and consistent. Plastic pallets weigh less than many timber equivalents and weigh the same every time, so the lift is predictable.
- No nails or splinters. A moulded plastic pallet has no fasteners to work loose and no grain to splinter, which removes a common source of cuts and puncture injuries.
- Predictable strength. Plastic pallets are engineered to a consistent load rating rather than depending on the condition of individual boards.
The clearest real-world example is Woolworths, which reportedly cut more than 3.3 billion kilograms of manual lifting across its stores by moving to a purpose-built plastic pallet that could be rolled directly onto the shop floor, removing the need to break down and re-handle loads.
Timber vs plastic pallets: manual handling comparison
| Handling factor | Timber pallet | Plastic pallet |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | Heavier; varies with moisture | Lighter; consistent |
| Splinters | Common | None |
| Nails | Can work loose | None (moulded) |
| Load failure risk | Higher (board breakage) | Lower (consistent rating) |
| Double-handling | Often required | Can be reduced with fit-for-purpose designs |
Why doesn’t this cost show up in pallet comparisons?
Manual handling injury is a real cost — light duties, lost time, workers’ compensation and the administrative load of a claim — but it lands in a different budget from pallet purchasing. Procurement compares pallets on unit price; the injury cost appears in a safety or HR budget months later. Because the two numbers never sit on the same page, the cheaper-to-buy pallet can quietly be the more expensive one to own. A single lost-time injury can cost more than a year’s worth of pallets.
Frequently asked questions
Are plastic pallets safer than timber pallets?
For manual handling specifically, yes — they are lighter, more consistent, and have no nails or splinters. They should be considered one control among others, not a complete safety solution.
Do lighter pallets actually reduce injuries?
Reducing the weight and inconsistency of a repeated lift lowers the risk of strain injuries, which are among the most common warehouse injuries. Fit-for-purpose designs can also cut out double-handling entirely, as in the Woolworths example.
Are Ozkor pallets made in Australia?
Yes. Ozkor manufactures in Australia and holds ISO 9001 certification.