WorkSafe has introduced new guidance and a state-wide inspection program to improve forklift safety and reduce related injuries and deaths. WorkSafe says its guidance offers practical advice on using and maintaining forklifts safely, emphasising the importance of separating forklifts and pedestrians.
WorkSafe data indicates more than a worker a week is seriously injured due to Victorian workplace forklift accidents.
Key safety measures include implementing traffic management systems like barriers and exclusion zones and installing safety technologies such as seatbelt interlocks and pedestrian detection devices.
Inspectors will be out and about focussing on forklift safety in manufacturing, postal, and warehousing environments, where most incidents occur.
Since 2019, eight people have died in forklift-related incidents, with pedestrians accounting for many injuries. WorkSafe stresses the importance of proper safety management and will act against employers who fail to protect workers.
Recent prosecutions have resulted in significant fines, including a $1.3 million fine for a workplace manslaughter case.
View the new forklift guidance.
