WorkSafe investigates Campbellfield fatality

WorkSafe Victoria has issued two improvement notices to a timber and building materials company following the death of a truck driver at a Campbellfield worksite. A 56-year-old Lara man was unloading timber from a semitrailer when bundled timber fell on him, crushing him to death.

The company has been given two weeks to improve safety practices relating to unloading of trucks and pedestrian exclusion zones. WorkSafe returned to the workplace yesterday to continue its investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident. The man’s death is the third workplace fatality in the last two weeks, taking Victoria’s work-related death toll for the year to 11. Following the latest incident, WorkSafe has renewed calls for businesses to take action to address hazards in the workplace.

“Look for potential hazards, identify solutions and put them in place to protect workers,” WorkSafe General Manager for Operations Lisa Sturzenegger said. “If a hazard cannot be controlled immediately, it is essential that steps are taken to reduce the risk so that all workers can return home safely every day. Take nothing for granted. The impact of serious workplace safety incidents on the families, friends and the communities around them is profound.”

A 44-year-old farmer also died in a tractor incident at Yarrawonga on 19 July and a 35-year-old man was electrocuted at Spotswood on 14 July.