In particular, it failed to ensure the deceased received adequate training in the safe operation of the loader and ensure the loader was fitted with safety warning signage.
Coda also admitted it failed to introduce a testing regime to ensure the safety sensors on the plant were working, the court heard.
WorkSafe NZ's investigation established none of the proximity sensor switches which would have prevented the loader's lifting arms being operated unless manually activated were working due to wiring and installation faults.
As the worker activated the swing loader by remote control, a shipping container which had been lifted up about 1.4m fell back towards the ground, dragging the swing loader with it, and lifted the left rear wheels off the ground.
The deceased tried to get out of the way but he was crushed between the rear of the trailer as it tipped over and an adjacent container.
Judge Paul Mabey QC who released his written judgment yesterday after hearing legal arguments on August 3, also fined the plant manufacturer and supplier Hammar New Zealand Limited $25,600.
Hammar earlier admitted that it failed to take all practicable steps to ensure that the plant was designed, made and maintained so it was safe for its intended use.
That included failing to provide accurate electrical drawings, accurate safety warning signage nor ensuring testing and certification was documented and provided to Coda.
At the August 3 hearing Mark Beech, the lawyer for Coda Operations Ltd, argued there was no evidence his client knew the machinery was not working properly.
An "inescapable inference" could be drawn that the safety sensors were not working properly when the swing loader was provided to Coda following maintenance and it deserved credit for taking immediate remedial steps, he said.
Hammar NZ's lawyer Greg Stringer argued his client was a "very much a secondary party" and it would be unjust to find it equally culpable.
Mr Stringer said Hammar however offered $20,000 reparation to the deceased's family.
Judge Mabey said in his view Hammar's failures "could not justifiably be seen as causative of the death" of the victim, and would therefore not order the firm to pay reparation.
"Coda had possession and control of the side loader through its predecessor since 2011, and it was entirely responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the side loader, in particular, the electricity circuitry and electrical equipment", he said..
The deceased's parents, whose victim impact statement was read to the court on August 3 by their lawyer, said they still struggled to understand why this accident happened.
"No parent should ever have to bury their child and our son's death has left a huge hole in our lives which can never be filled, and there will never be closure for us," they said.
"(He) was very much loved son and he is always in our thoughts and will never be forgotten," they said.
Judge Mabey permanently suppressed the victim's name and other family members' identities.