FAILURE TO IMPLEMENT
A TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT PLAN
the case ...
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WorkSafe Victoria v Resource Recovery Victoria Pty Ltd (2015)
Resource Recovery Victoria Pty Ltd diverts recycling material from
landfill for businesses in the building, construction, demolition,
excavation, bobcat, tipper, bin and skip industries. The Resource
Recovery transfer station is a high-traffic area with heavy vehicles
dumping, sorting and clearing materials, and pedestrians working in
close proximity to each other.
In October 2013, a worker was in control of a 20-tonne front-end loader
when the loader’s bucket fell and struck another worker who was sitting
in a smaller sweeper vehicle. The incident caused fatal injuries to
that worker. At the time, Resource Recovery did not have a traffic
management procedure in place, nor did they have any signs, lines or
barriers to separate heavy vehicles from pedestrian workers.
- Provide a safe workplace
- Risk assess the machine
- Properly train workers, and
- Properly supervise workers
The Verdict
The Country Court of Victoria found Resource Recovery guilty of two
offences under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (Vic) (OHS Act)
and fined the business $450,000. The Court found that Resource Recovery
had breached their obligations to provide a safe workplace under the OHS
Act by failing to:
- provide induction or training in relation to machinery;
- develop and communicate comprehensive traffic management plans; and
- implement appropriate safety signs to separate pedestrians from
heavy machinery.
The Lesson
You must ensure that in workplaces where pedestrians and heavy machinery
are in close proximity, a comprehensive traffic management plan is in
place and is communicated to all workers and visitors to the workplace.
Induction and training in operating heavy machinery is also critical to
ensure that workers are competently trained to use the equipment they
are operating. You should use signs, lines and barriers to ensure the
safety of pedestrians in hazardous workspaces.
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