Mainfreight Distribution Pty Ltd is an Australia-wide freight transport business. In October 2022 a floor hand in their Derrimut warehouse was injured by the forklift when they were both working in the same space.
The incident occurred when the forklift operator was loading boxes into a bin whilst the injured employee was walking to a nearby aisle where his work equipment was located. He was not using a designated walkway, and the forklift operator was unaware of his presence. The forklift reversed over the injured employee’s foot causing him to fall forward and strike his head on the concrete floor. The employee temporarily lost consciousness and also lost sensation in his face and legs. He was transported to hospital by ambulance where he was treated for injuries to his nose, leg and left foot.
WorkSafe’s investigation showed that when the incident occurred Mainfreight Distribution had in place a traffic management plan that included a map of the workplace with arrows indicating the direction of truck movement. However, it contained no specifications in relation to powered mobile plant, including forklifts. There were no designated exclusion zones at the workplace separating forklifts and pedestrians through the use of physical barriers such as bollards or separation barricades. None of Mainfreight Distribution’s forklifts were fitted with safety devices such as pedestrian sensing equipment or halo lights – halo lights project light markings to the floor around a forklift showing a distance of three metres radius.
The hazards of operating forklifts in areas where pedestrians are present are well known in the warehousing and transport industry, and forklift incidents account for many serious or fatal workplace incidents. WorkSafe provides employers with free information and guidance on how to comply with their legal duties relating to the use of forklifts - Forklift safety guide | WorkSafe Victoria.
Mainfreight Distribution had previously been fined $25,000 without conviction for an incident in 2016 where an employee fell 2.9 metres onto a concrete floor after being lifted on the tynes of a forklift.
At the time of the 2022 incident the maximum penalty for failure to provide a safe working environment was approximately $1.6M. The Sunshine Magistrates’ Court imposed a fine of $40,000 on Mainfreight Distribution, without conviction.
Read more: Prosecution Result Summaries and Enforceable Undertakings | WorkSafe Victoria