Thursday 8th April 2021

Weekly Workplace Safety Roundup: Thursday 8th April 2021

This week's safety news covers a fatal tractor incident in North Queensland, a national forklift safety roadshow across New Zealand, and a chemical spill penalty in Goulburn. Each case offers important lessons for safety professionals across construction, agriculture, and manufacturing sectors.

Worker Crushed When Dismounting From Moving Tractor

The Bowen Magistrates Court has fined a North Queensland produce company after one of their workers died in a workplace incident. A 37-year-old worker dismounted the moving tractor to restock seedling trays when he became trapped under the wheel of the planter. He was later declared deceased at the scene.

It wasn't the first time the worker had dismounted from a moving tractor. Doing so remained common practice until mid-2018, when the produce company introduced a policy prohibiting it.

A safety induction was held only one month before the incident, in which the worker had taken part. Records show he signed a document confirming attendance. Despite this, he continued to dismount the moving tractor and was reprimanded for it three times.

Although the produce company had policies and procedures in place for worker safety, Magistrate James Morton stated the incident could have been avoided had a more forceful approach been enforced. Businesses reviewing their own safety management systems may find this case a timely reminder of why enforcement matters as much as documentation.

A $15,000 fine was issued for the 2019 incident, and no conviction was recorded. More on this media release can be found on the WorkSafe QLD website.

National Forklift Safety Roadshow Reaches 1055 Businesses

WorkSafe New Zealand wrapped up its national forklift safety roadshow in Dunedin last week. The seminars managed to reach 1055 businesses across the country, highlighting health and safety risks associated with forklifts.

Forklift related injuries between 2013 and 2018 resulted in ACC estimated life cost claims totalling more than $11 million. Presentation during the seminars encouraged attendees to examine operator safety and businesses' responsibility to ensure work gets carried out safely.

WorkSafe New Zealand will look at rolling out seminars to other parts of the country, extending the national reach of this important initiative. Organisations seeking guidance on mobile plant and forklift safety documentation can review further resources on this topic in our related coverage.

Read the full media release on the WorkSafe NZ website.

Goulburn Company Fined $15,000 for Hosing Spilt Chemicals

A Goulburn company has been fined by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) for polluting waters by allegedly washing herbicide into a stormwater drain.

The alleged spill of the herbicide Paraquat from a chemical spray truck occurred on 30th November 2020. The company failed to notify emergency services of the incident at the date it occurred.

A member of the public notified the EPA's 24-hour Environment Line of the spill the following day, prompting the EPA to launch an investigation.

On 2nd December, EPA officers detected herbicide traces in the Mulwaree River, only 2.3km downstream of the spill site. Officers found puddles of blue liquid at the premises, and testing showed high concentrations of Paraquat within those puddles.

The EPA issued a clean-up direction, with which the company complied. EPA Director Regulatory Operations Cate Woods said, "The company told the EPA they spent four hours hosing the spilt herbicide into the stormwater as they were concerned for their worker's safety."

"The correct procedure is to call triple zero for expert assistance and to also report the spill to the EPA."

A fine of $15,000 was issued by EPA NSW. View the EPA NSW website for the complete media release.

Key Takeaways for Safety Professionals

• Enforcement of safety policies must go beyond written procedures — repeated breaches require decisive action.
• Plant and equipment operators should never dismount moving machinery, regardless of past practice.
• Chemical spills must be reported immediately to emergency services under correct incident protocols.
• National safety education initiatives, such as forklift roadshows, play a critical role in reducing workplace injuries.

For further coverage of workplace safety incidents and regulatory updates, see our reports from Thursday 29th April 2021 and Thursday 22nd April 2021.