$150K spend follows truck driver struck by forklift
In the Geelong Magistrates’ Court on 17 July, it was heard that a Geelong flooring manufacturer had entered into an enforceable undertaking while facing charges of failing to provide a safe working environment and failing to ensure that persons other than employees were not exposed to health and safety risks.
It followed a July 2024 incident in which a driver contracted by another company was waiting for his truck to be packed with carpet tiles in the flooring manufacturer’s facility loading area. He was struck in the back by a forklift, knocked to the ground and briefly lost consciousness. The driver required hospital treatment for bruising on the back of his ankle.
The company failed to reduce the risk to health and safety, WorkSafe Victoria alleges, by failing to have a traffic management plan in place to protect anyone in the loading area, including truck drivers and forklift operators.
As part of the estimated $150,000 undertaking, WorkSafe Victoria advised that the flooring manufacturer is required, within 14 months, to implement additional safety features at the company’s Breakwater facility. These include smart boom gates using facial recognition to only allow staff who have completed necessary induction and training to access the highest-risk area of the workplace.
To continuously monitor traffic zones and on forklifts to enhance safety features such as pedestrian detection and speed reduction, additional safety features to be implemented also include AI cameras. Additionally, and with the support of the Geelong Manufacturing Council, the company is to create and deliver an industry training seminar on learnings from the incident and make a $10,000 donation to the Barwon Health Foundation, supporting services and care provided in Geelong and surrounding regions.
“Too often we see incidents occur when the risks and hazards are well-known and employers should be very familiar with their obligations and prevention measures,” WorkSafe Victoria Chief Health and Safety Officer Sam Jenkin said. “This enforceable undertaking will improve safety at the Breakwater site, while educating the industry to help prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.”
If the undertaking is contravened or withdrawn, WorkSafe Victoria said it may reinstate the charges.
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