1 June 2009
BAIADA Poultry has been convicted and fined $100,000 after a worker was
killed on a poultry farm in a forklift truck loading incident.Mario Azzopardi
was killed at around 3.15am on 5 December 2005. He was hit by a 550kg steel
cage which fell from a truck after it was loaded by a forklift driven by an
unlicensed 16 year old.
Baiada Poultry owned the cages and had sent Azzopardi and other employees
to go to the farm. WorkSafe Victoria alleged the company failed to provide a
safe workplace and systems of work for Azzopardi, who was a contract truck
driver, and deemed employee of Baiada.The jury was told that the company
was aware of the risks involved with the loading an unloading of trucks
because of a past incident, and did not adequately identify, limit or control
risks associated with loading and unloading trucks in near darkness.
Baiada had also failed to provide a system of separating pedestrians and
forklifts, gave no directions to truck drivers to remain in their vehicles
during loading and unloading at poultry farms, and did not ensure the
forklift involved in this incident was operated by a trained person.
Fifty-seven people have died in Victorian workplace incidents
involving forklifts since 1985. Thirty-one were pedestrians who
were either struck by the forklift or by falling loads.
Ref: Materials Handling - Australia's premier materials handling news
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