AGB International Pty Ltd

Incident description:

A worker sustained a fractured left ankle, foot and toe when he was struck by a reversing forklift while cleaning-up.

Investigation findings:

The investigation found that while the defendant had some systems in place including designated walkways and the requirement that workers wear high visibility vests, the audible reverse beeper on the forklift was not working and that the high visibility vest worn by the worker was covered by a jumper.

Considerations for prevention:

While some controls were in place to manage the risk of pedestrians coming into contact with passing traffic the defendant failed to properly enforce these controls which would have ensured their effectiveness. The use of higher order controls such as engineering controls or physical barriers may also have better managed the interaction of forklifts and pedestrians at the workplace.

Court result:

The defendant pleaded guilty and was fined $34,000. No conviction was recorded.

Visit the Workplace Health and Safety website for more information on:

• assessing the risks associated with working with or around forklifts (PDF, 197kB)
• implementing controls or evaluating or monitoring them.