A pallet is a flat platform used to move and store materials on site. You’ll find them everywhere – stacked with bricks, blocks, plasterboard, bags of cement, or rolls of insulation. They make it easy to lift, shift, and store heavy loads using forklifts, telehandlers or pallet trucks.
Most pallets are made of wood, but you’ll also come across plastic or metal ones – especially for specific jobs or heavier loads. The standard size in the UK is around 1200mm x 1000mm, but you’ll find all sorts depending on what’s being delivered.
Pallets help keep materials organised and off the ground, which is good for both safety and cleanliness. They also make transport faster and more efficient – instead of moving 50 blocks by hand, you shift one pallet and you’re done. But they only work well if the site is laid out properly and the gear’s used right.
On a busy construction site, pallets are constantly arriving, being offloaded, moved, and stacked. Knowing how to handle them safely is part of the job – from checking for damaged boards and uneven stacking to making sure the load’s secure before lifting.
Operators using forklifts or telehandlers need to be trained not just on the machine, but on proper pallet handling. Dropping a load because it wasn’t centred, or catching a pallet on uneven ground, can cause injuries and delays.
At Construction and Plant Training Services, we cover this kind of real-world material handling in many of our CPCS and NPORS courses. Whether you’re new to plant or just want to sharpen your site skills, we’ll help you work smarter and safer.
