Statewide SafeWork Op - Keeping workers safe around mobile plant, fixed machinery and vehicles
Case Study: Mark Ellis, injured in a workplace forklift incident.
Over 140 notices have already been issued by SafeWork NSW Inspectors, who are conducting a statewide targeted compliance operation to reduce injuries caused by mobile plant, fixed machinery and vehicles in the workplace.
Most notices issued to date relate to forklift safety, which include managing risks such as separation from pedestrians, rollover and collision, and maintenance and inspection of plant.
The inspections are being conducted in the agricultural, retail, construction, manufacturing and transport industries and cover earthmoving equipment, forklifts, cranes, trucks, quad bikes, side-byside vehicles, fixed machinery, and tractors.
The key risks being targeted include ensuring separation between people and plant, preventing access to moving parts, preventing rollovers and ensuring proper training and licensing.
Inspectors are focusing on these high-risk areas as they are one of the leading causes of workplace fatalities in NSW as highlighted in SafeWork NSW’s 2024-2025 Annual Regulatory statement.
A man in his seventies died last year after being struck by a forklift during a workplace incident at a factory in Griffith and another died in a separate incident when he was struck by a compactor at a waste management facility in Lucas Heights. There were also two fatal incidents within 24 hours on farms involving quad bike and side-by-side vehicle where the vehicles they were riding rolled over, trapping them underneath. A failure to wear seatbelts, helmets, fit roll over bars and separating people and plant were all factors in these tragic incidents.
A recent SafeWork prosecution resulted in Twin Connect Pty Ltd being fined $180,000 for breaching work health and safety laws after a 33-year-old worker was struck by a reversing excavator while performing traffic control duties in 2022. There was no physical separation in place to separate pedestrians from the mobile plant.
Young and inexperienced workers are particularly at risk on work sites and Inspectors will be checking they are adequately trained and supervised on how to work safely around moving plant and vehicles. On-the-spot fines of up to $4,500 for employers and $900 for individuals can be issued to those who place workers lives at risk.
Information on how to reduce mobile plant, fixed machinery and vehicle related hazards is available on the SafeWork NSW webpage, including the Code of practice - Managing the risks of plant in the workplace.
SafeWork NSW also offer advisory services and a $1,000 small business rebate to assist with purchasing safety equipment. Businesses with less than 50 workers can book a workplace visit with a SafeWork inspector to identify risks and how to manage them.
Concerned workers can report workplace health and safety issues by calling SafeWork NSW on 13 10 50 or through the Speak Up app.
Quotes attributable to Head of SafeWork NSW Trent Curtin:
Being hit by moving plant or vehicles or injured when working with fixed machinery are preventable hazards we see across our State and across all industries. Awareness and assessment of the risks along with implementation of safe systems of work is key to reducing incidents. This involves particular consideration of the operating environment, separation of workers and vehicles and consultation with workers to keep them safe.
SafeWork NSW inspectors will educate workplaces they visit regarding safe practices but will not accept workers lives being placed at risk, and can issue on-the-spot fines for serious safety breaches.
All workers deserve to return home safely at the end of their work day. No job is too important that it can’t be done safely.