A man has died in an industrial accident in Melbourne's north. WorkSafe Victoria says a large pallet of timber fell from a semi-trailer onto the man in Campbellfield just after 4.30pm AEST on Sunday.
The man, believed to be in his 40s, was caught under the pallet.
Ambulance Victoria spokesman Andy Watson says workmates tried to revive the man until paramedics arrived.
"Ambulance Victoria would like to praise the workmates of this gentleman in starting CPR on the patient," he said.
"[They] went to the aid of their work colleague, called triple-0 very quickly and were able to provide some good information on the arrival of the paramedics."
Paramedics tried to revive the man, but he died at the scene.
WorkSafe's Michael Birt says the death should be a wake-up call for businesses to check their routines.
"We know that people who are involved in these incidents are often just doing routine jobs and we really just need people to have a look at what they're doing and what they're expecting other people to do," he said.
EasyOHS Comment:
Use of forklifts / unloading and loading are highly dangerous activities and require careful planning and risk assessment processes.
Key issues to consider are:
1) Consultation with employees regarding safe use of load shifting equipment
2) Ensuring all persons are trained, ticketed, competent and fit to use load shifting equipment
3) All safety features of the equipment are operational (eg: seatbelts, warning devices) - pre start checks, falling object protection (FOPS) and Roll over Protection (ROPs) are in place
4) Load shifting equipment is maintained to OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) specifications
5) Exclusion zones are set up to minimise potential interactions between pedestrians and other traffic from the loading / unloading area. This may include bollards, tape, signage, line marking, physical barriers, fencing, traffic control etc
6) Persons working in the loading and unloading area are trained and competent and aware of the dangers and wear high visibility clothing
7) No person should stand under a suspended load at any time
