Geelong company sentenced over forklift incident

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Geelong Company Sentenced Over Forklift Incident

A Geelong fruit and vegetable business has faced conviction after breaching health and safety regulations, following an incident where a worker suffered serious injury from a falling forklift load.

Summary: The company pleaded guilty to two counts of failing to provide safe systems of work after a forklift accident left an employee with multiple fractures. A WorkSafe investigation identified serious gaps in traffic management practices, resulting in a $50,000 fine plus costs.

What Happened in the Forklift Incident?

The worker sustained multiple fractures after being struck by a falling forklift load in July 2021. Following the incident, the company admitted to two counts of failing to provide safe systems of work for those operating in the vicinity of forklifts.

This case highlights why robust forklift safety procedures remain critical across warehouses, distribution centres, and transport yards where pedestrians and machinery regularly interact.

WorkSafe Findings on Traffic Management Failures

A WorkSafe investigation found the company's traffic management system didn't adequately eliminate or reduce the risk of forklifts colliding with pedestrians. Effective management of vehicle movement in transport and logistics settings requires clearly defined pedestrian zones, exclusion barriers, and consistent supervision.

Poor traffic management within transport operations continues to be a leading cause of workplace injury across Australian industries. Businesses managing fleets, forklifts, or other mobile plant must implement a documented company vehicle policy outlining separation controls between pedestrians and powered machinery.

Court Outcome and Penalties

Geelong Magistrates' Court fined the company $50,000 and ordered payment of $4,331 in costs. This sentencing reinforces the seriousness with which Victorian courts treat inadequate safety management systems that put workers at risk.

Lessons for Businesses on Safety Management

This case demonstrates why proactive traffic and safety management matters across every workplace where forklifts operate near pedestrians. Employers should consider these key actions:

• Review and update traffic management plans regularly to reflect current site layouts and operational risks
• Separate pedestrian walkways from forklift operating zones wherever possible
• Ensure all forklift operators receive proper training and hold valid licences
• Conduct routine safety audits of transport and logistics areas
• Maintain thorough incident reporting and investigation processes to identify management gaps before they cause harm

Similar enforcement actions demonstrate a broader trend toward stricter workplace safety management. See our coverage of the transport company sentenced over truckie death at Yarraville depot and the Perth engineering company charged over fatal workplace incident for further examples of how courts respond to safety management failures.

Businesses seeking to strengthen their own transport and pedestrian safety management should also review our recent report on the company fined over Ettamogah blasting incident, which further illustrates the financial and reputational costs of inadequate risk management.

Building Stronger Safety Management Systems

Every workplace with forklifts, vehicles, or pedestrian traffic needs a clear management framework to prevent collisions and injuries. Documented procedures, regular training, and consistent enforcement form the backbone of effective safety management.

SafetyDocs offers practical resources to support this effort, including our incident management checklists, forms and registers and our incident reporting policy, both designed to help businesses strengthen safety management and meet regulatory obligations.

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