The company was also ordered to pay the victim, who asked for anonymity, £5,000 compensation.
The forklift truck was lowering two men from a 14ft-high lorry to the ground in a cage supported on the forks.
Skegness Magistrates' Court heard that, as it was being lowered, the cage caught on the side of the lorry and started to fall. The driver tried to catch the cage by piercing the side of the cage with the forks but a fork hit one of the men. He was hospitalised with fractured ribs and unable to work for three weeks.
The incident happened on 16 June 2009 at Polypipe's site on Boston Road iIndustrial Estate, Horncastle, Lincolnshire. The men had been on the lorry to load coils of plastic pipes.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found the company had failed to ensure the work was properly planned or carried out safely.
Polypipe Ltd, of Broomhouse Lane, Edlington, Doncaster, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4 (1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. As well as the fine and compensation order, Polypie also has to pay £4,765 costs.
HSE inspector Emma Madeley said: "This incident was completely avoidable and stems from Polypipe's entire system of work being fundamentally unsafe. There should have been a system for loading that didn't involve unsafe work at height and employees should have been provided with a safe method of getting back down to the ground.
"Falls from height are the biggest causes of workplace deaths and it's crucial that employers make sure work is properly planned, supervised and carried out to protect staff from these risks.
"The positive thing to come from this incident is that the company has now taken steps to resolve these
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