Health & Safety / Pedestrian Hit by Forklift
Pedestrian Hit by Forklift
Event Title: Pedestrian Hit by Forklift
Event date: 29th April 2020
Event location: Eastpack
Event Description:
Pedestrian walked out in front of the path of a forklift with load. Operator was travelling forward and had no visibility of the pedestrian. The forklift struck him when turning and pulled him beneath the load.
- Pedestrian did not check for forklift activity. Was looking the other way when he stepped out in front of a loaded forklift
- Fork lift was travelling forward instead of reversing and had no visibility of pedestrian
- Pedestrian was not adhering to 3 meter rule
- Pedestrian was off the walkways and was not wearing PPE
Initial Actions Taken:
- Forklift stopped. Pedestrian was able to free himself from beneath the load. Incident was attended by supervisors.
- Issue was addressed via tool box
- Crown attended site to investigate vehicle, locked machine out and assessed for issues.
Lessons and Recommendations:
- Non-essential pedestrian movement during forklift activity increases exposure to incident
- Not observing 3 metre separation rule can result in near miss or impact incident
- Not checking for activity before stepping out into forklift thoroughfares can result in near miss or impact incident
- Not reversing when carrying a load results in low or no visibility
- Not wearing PPE reduces a pedestrian’s visibility to others
- Use of hazard tape to define areas do not reduce exposure to potential impact. The 3 metre rule should be observed when standing behind cordoned off areas.
- Formal investigation to be conducted with learning to be communicated through organisation
