Vic abattoir fined $55,000 following forklift injury

A Victorian abattoir has been fined $55,000 without conviction after a worker was injured in a forklift incident in 2019.

The company pleaded guilty to two charges of failing to provide and maintain a working environment that was safe and without health risks.

The court heard that in October 2019, the injured worker was sorting sheep skin while standing on a table. A forklift operated by another worker was elevating a load of sheep skins 4-5 metres high into a drum when a 500–600-kilogram metal basket fell off the forklift, seriously injuring a worker.

A WorkSafe investigation found that the company failed to ensure workers kept a safe distance from elevated loads and that the abattoir did not provide a mechanism to secure the metal basket to the forklift.

Read the full story on the WorkSafe Victoria website.