Garage door company fined $450,000 over forklift injury

The following is an abridgement of an article originally published by SafeWork NSW.

Incident and Prosecution

A garage door company was fined $450,000 in the Industrial Court of NSW following a prosecution by SafeWork NSW.

The penalty relates to an incident on 10 October 2022, in which a worker sustained serious injuries after being struck by a forklift.

The company pleaded guilty to an offence under section 32 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW) for failing to comply with its duty under section 19(1) of the Act. The business retains the right to appeal the sentence.

Regulator Statement

SafeWork Commissioner Janet Schorer stated,

"Risk control measures for working with moving plant and fixed machinery are well known. 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. Preventing injuries caused by mobile plant, vehicles or fixed machinery is an area for action in SafeWork NSW's regulatory priorities. Having an awareness and assessment of the risks, along with implementation of safe systems of work, is key to reducing the number of incidents related to moving plant."