Workplace fatality not just a safety reminder

WorkSafe Victoria stated that the recent death of a man at Melbourne’s Appleton Dock will have a wide-reaching effect in the logistics market.

The incident, which is under investigation by WorkSafe, occurred as the worker was rigging a steel drum to a lifting device with a steel beam, similar to a gantry crane.

WorkSafe understands the incident happened when the hydraulic jacks did not operate in unison, causing the three-tonne steel beam to fall on the worker.

“WorkSafe inspectors have been at the scene all day, and over coming weeks we’ll continue to investigate how and why this happened,” said WorkSafe’s Manufacturing and Logistics Director, Ross Pilkington. “This fatality is much more than just a tragic reminder of the importance of workplace safety.

“Workplace deaths affect entire communities - they have an irrevocable effect on families, friends, colleagues, organisations and communities. These tragedies change people’s lives.

“Every year, WorkSafe attends a number of very serious incidents involving cranes and lifting devices - they’re large machines which can have horrific consequences if something goes wrong.”

This is the13th workplace fatality in Victoria for 2010 and the sixth to occur in Melbourne. In the past 12 months, five Victorian workers have died in incidents where items have fallen on to them.