PBT Transport was fined $250,000 after a worker sustained an injury (file photo).

A freight company has been fined $250,000 after one of its workers sustained back injuries after a freight cage fell from forklift tines.

PBT Transport Limited was sentenced at the Auckland District Court on Friday following an incident in September 2016.

It was also ordered to pay $20,000 in reparation.

The worker suffered back injuries after a freight cage he was working in fell three metres from forklift tines.

Two similar incidents had occurred at other PBT Transport sites.

Worksafe said the company should have used those incidents to "significantly" improve its processes.

The investigation into the September 2016 incident found the freight cage did not comply with industry standards and had not been attached to the forklift correctly.

Head of specialist interventions Simon Humphries said it wasn't the first time PBT Transport had had issues with freight cages falling from forklift tines, with similar incidents occurring in 2009 and just a month earlier.

"It was reasonably practicable for PBT Transport Ltd to ensure the freight cage they used complied with industry standards and that only trained, competent and authorised workers should be using the freight cage and forklift.

"If you have a system in place, use it and when things go wrong, learn from your mistakes before another life is put at risk."

WorkSafe's investigation also found that while PBT Transport had safety systems documented, they were not being implemented in the day-to-day running of the business.

PBT Transport was sentenced under the Health and Safety at Work Act.