A Geelong man was sentenced in Geelong County Court last Friday over his actions that resulted in the death of a fellow employee in a forklift incident.
The man and his colleague were moving a steel rack that held assorted sheet metal, totalling more than a tonne, in the maintenance area of their Lara workplace. The man was operating the forklift on uneven ground, and with an obscured line of vision, when the unsecured load became unbalanced and tipped, fatally crushing the other employee.
The man admitted that he failed to take reasonable care by operating an unsecured and unbalanced load, and by not ensuring that the other employee was outside of the exclusion zone while the forklift was in operation. Section 25 of the OHS Act requires employees to take reasonable care for their own safety and for the safety of persons who may be affected by the employee’s acts or omissions.
The man was convicted and placed on a six-month good behaviour bond.
Read more: Worker convicted after forklift death | WorkSafe Victoria
Prosecution Result Summaries and Enforceable Undertakings | WorkSafe Victoria