Tasmanian freight company TasFreight has been slapped with a fine of $40,000 for failing to maintain a safe workplace following multiple near-miss incidents involving forklifts and pedestrians.
WorkSafe Victoria launched an investigation into the company’s Melbourne branch in 2022 after receiving an anonymous complaint, which revealed a litany of safety concerns.
Inspectors witnessed forklifts operating dangerously close to workers, with one incident involving a forklift pushing pallets towards employees as they loaded a truck and other instances where forklifts were operating less than a metre from pedestrians.
Despite being issued with an improvement notice, subsequent visits found little improvement, with inspectors observing more close calls between forklifts and pedestrians.
In the Sunshine Magistrates’ Court on Friday, TasFreight pleaded guilty to a single charge of failing to maintain a safe workplace.
WorkSafe Executive Director Health and Safety Sam Jenkin said forklifts and pedestrians do not mix.
“If your business works with forklifts or mobile plant, having an up to date and effective traffic management plan and actually implementing it is a non-negotiable,” he said.
“This year alone, almost 150 Victorian workers have needed time off work after being injured by forklifts so there’s no excuse for not taking the risks seriously.”
In addition to the fine, the company was ordered to pay costs of $4,037.
