Health and Safety Cracks Down on Height Risks.

Cairns Workplace Incident Leaves Man Crushed by Forklift with Serious Injuries

A 38-year-old man remains in stable condition at Cairns Hospital after reportedly being crushed by a forklift at a Bentley Park business in a southern Cairns suburb.

Emergency services, including a critical care unit, treated him for head, facial, pelvic, and spinal injuries before transporting him to hospital with serious injuries.

Reports indicate the vehicle drove up a ramp, then rolled back onto him. Workplace Health and Safety Queensland are investigating this accident.

The original article can be found on the Cairns Post website.

Health and Safety Cracks Down on Height Risks

Summary: Two Cairns businesses have faced fines exceeding $10,000 after WHS investigations into a fatal fall from height on a construction site. Inspectors are intensifying scrutiny of elevated work activities across construction, warehousing, and other hazardous industries.

What Happened

Two companies operating in Cairns have been fined for unsafe elevated workplace practises following WHS investigations into the death of a worker who fell seven metres while installing air ducts on a construction site back in 2018.

The Queensland Building and Construction Commission suspended that company's licence in 2018, though it reinstated the licence one month later following compliance verified by an auditor under commission conditions.

That same business failed to meet its health and safety duty again this past April, though the charge was later dropped as WHS offered no evidence against it.

Penalties Issued

Fines totalling more than $10,000 have been issued to two persons conducting a business or undertaking in the Cairns region, covering:

• Four prohibition notices
• Four improvement notices
• Three infringement fines

Each penalty relates to fall risks that went uncontrolled during construction activities, underscoring how quickly consequences escalate when height hazards aren't properly managed.

WHS Response

A WHS spokeswoman said, "In relation to all workplaces, WHSQ inspectors put a high focus on working at heights, where the risk of falling is not controlled."

"Monitoring and enforcing compliance ensures PCBUs and other duty holders comply with their safety obligations. WHSQ's role as the regulator first and foremost is to eliminate risk of exposure to injury, illness or death."

Why Height Risks Remain a Leading Cause of Fatal Accidents

Falls from height continue to rank among construction's most persistent dangers. Whether workers are installing ductwork, wiring electrical systems, or accessing rooftops, overstretching when using ladders and working near unprotected edges create constant health and safety risk exposure.

Construction sites often combine multiple hazardous conditions simultaneously — elevated platforms, electrical installations, and heavy machinery operating nearby. This overlap means construction work demands layered controls, not just one safeguard against falling.

Businesses operating in construction, manufacturing, and healthcare settings should treat this case as a reminder that control measures for hazardous tasks require ongoing review, not a one-time setup. Duty holders across construction projects carry direct responsibility for verifying that fall protection stays effective as jobs progress and site conditions change.

For businesses seeking to strengthen compliance frameworks, SafetyDocs offers a Health and Safety Manual template designed to support duty holders in meeting WHS obligations across construction and other high-risk sectors. Our Work Health and Safety Manual (WHSM) further outlines practical strategies for managing elevated work, electrical hazards, and other on-site risks.

Employers can also explore our article on 10 health and safety risk management strategies for guidance on strengthening controls across construction and industrial worksites, or attend the Workplace Health and Safety Show to connect with WHS specialists addressing height and electrical risk management.

The original article can be found on the Cairns Post website.