WorkSafe investigates two separate weekend fatalities

WorkSafe Victoria is investigating two separate incidents which occurred within 24 hours of each other, leading to the deaths of two workers. On 23 February 2024, a 61-year-old farmer died while loading grain from a silo into a truck at a Kellalac farm, near Warracknabeal. The man is understood to have been operating a large mobile auger when it tipped and struck him on the head.

On 24 February, a 52-year-old truck driver died while unloading sand from a prime mover at a Dandenong South concrete yard. It is believed the trailer was being hydraulically lifted when it tipped onto the truck’s cabin, crushing the driver.

The deaths are the third and fourth confirmed workplace fatalities for 2024, all of which have been workers aged 50 or over. WorkSafe reports that there were 10 work-related deaths at the same time last year.

Image credit: iStock.com/Birute