A Melbourne logistics company has been placed on a Good Behaviour Bond and fined $40,000 after a worker was struck by a forklift at a wholesale fruit and vegetable market.
Robinson's Unloading Pty Ltd was sentenced in the Heidelberg Magistrates' Court on Friday 2 August after pleading guilty to failing to provide and maintain a system of work that was safe and without risks to health.
The company was, without conviction, placed on a 12-month Good Behaviour Bond and ordered to pay $40,000 to the court fund and $6,139 in costs.
In March 2023 a forklift was loading a semi-trailer with produce at the Epping market when a worker stepped out from behind a safety barrier to visually check the truck's load. The forklift driver was unable to see him due to the load being carried. The forklift hit the worker who suffered serious injuries.
WorkSafe Executive Director of Health and Safety Sam Jenkin said control measures, including a traffic management plan, were vital in workplaces where powered mobile plant such as forklifts operate.
"Sadly, an average of one worker every week is seriously injured in incidents involving forklifts, which is simply unacceptable given the risks are so well known," Mr Jenkin said.
Read more: WorkSafe media release Serious forklift injury costs company $40,000