Victorian meat manufacturer fined $200k after worker injury

Following injuries suffered by a worker after being struck and pinned down by a reversing forklift, a Victorian meat manufacturer was convicted and fined $200,000.

Late last week (17 December), cured meat manufacturer D’Orsogna Limited was sentenced at Melbourne County Court after it pleaded guilty to one charge of “failing to provide a safe working environment,” following injuries suffered by one of its workers at its workplace.

The injury was suffered in April 2023, when a team leader who was unloading pallets with a jack, was struck by a reversing forklift, which pinned her legs to the ground.

After the incident, she was taken to hospital with serious injuries, including a “complex, comminuted foot fracture.”

An ‘appalling’ work system

In a subsequent visit, inspectors from WorkSafe Victoria found that there were no physical barriers, bollards, or marked walkways that separated pedestrians in the dispatch chiller area, which housed the cured meats, from the area where the forklift operated on the worksite.

The court heard that there was no traffic management plan in place and that the “work system” put in place relied on forklift drivers and pedestrians making eye contact and that ad hoc communication was to be established regarding who would give way.

Acting chief health and safety officer at WorkSafe, Barb Hill, called the company’s “work system” “appalling” and that there is no excuse for a “cavalier” approach to safety.

Hill stressed that any businesses using powered mobile plants, such as forklifts, must have a thorough, up-to-date traffic management plan, with appropriate safety controls, including designated walkways and barriers.

‘Reasonably practicable’ safety measures

WorkSafe Victoria determined it “reasonably practicable” for the meat manufacturer to “design, implement and regularly review a traffic management plan” to include the implementation of control measures, such as physical barriers, bollards, marked walkways, and “driver safety zones” in areas where pedestrians and forklifts would interact.

The meat manufacturer admitted that it failed to provide instructions and training to all workers on the safe use of and interaction with forklifts; in addition, it admitted that it failed to provide instructions to forklift operators about the importance of conducting head checks before reversing.

Hill said that the use of powered mobile plants is a well-known safety hazard, with forklifts causing injuries to 145 people this year.

In addition, WorkSafe Victoria recommended that employers with mobile plants on site should ensure that they:

• Install signage and barriers were appropriate.

• Address and control visibility issues, especially in areas with poor lighting.

• Provide or confirm appropriate high-risk work licences for workers operating equipment.

• Regular inspections and maintenance of machinery and vehicles by a qualified individual.

• Consultation with employees and health and safety representatives about health and safety issues.