Worker fatally injured by refuse compactor (24 September 2024)

A 31-year-old worker was in the process of tipping out refuse from a tipper truck at a waste management facility. The worker was outside of his vehicle clearing a blockage when he was struck by a compactor operating on site, sustaining fatal crush injuries.

A compactor and a truck at a rubbish site. The truck is unloading it's rubbish, and the compactor is on top of the rubbish pile. The background features dirt and rubbish scattered in the foreground.
Photo 1 proximity of Compactor and truck.
Two trucks, one white and one blue, emptying their loads of rubbish at a designated unloading area at the rubbish site. The trucks are lined up, indicating the parking reference area.
Photo 2 showing 3 large tyres as a reference area for truck parking.

Safety information

Consider ‘reasonably practicable’ control measures to manage the risks associated with moving plant interactions.

  • Identify traffic hazards
    • consult with workers and mobile plant operators
    • identify where mobile plant may interact with pedestrians or other vehicles
    • determine potential locations and circumstances where people, plant and vehicles could collide – eg. when workers are required to alight from their vehicles.
  • Eliminate the risk, if possible.
  • If elimination isn’t possible, minimise the risk by:
    • Designing the layout of the workplace so that workers are not required to exit their vehicles and to minimise the interaction between pedestrians and mobile plant and other vehicles.
    • Use physical barriers and/or exclusion zones to separate workers from mobile plant and vehicles.
    • Ensure there are clear, reliable communication systems in place.
    • Ensure all workers and other site users are aware of the traffic flow pattern, site rules, control measures and communication systems.
    • Any area where the mobile plant and/or vehicles are required to reverse poses an additional risk and higher levels of controls should be implemented for example: scheduling work so that vehicles and pedestrians are not operating simultaneously in the one area.

At most sites, a combination of control measures will be required to effectively manage the risks associated with mobile plant.

  • Maintain and review control measures. Control measures need to remain effective, particularly if the workplace is changing. Systems should be in place to:
    • assess the effectiveness of current control measures
    • allow reporting and feedback on the effectiveness of the control measures
    • ensure workers are implementing control measures correctly
    • identify upcoming changes to the workplace environment (layout, shared services etc) or work procedures (new equipment or processes, worker training etc) before they occur, and assess the potential impact on control measure,
    • identify and assess possible alternate control measures (eg. new technology).
  • Provide supervision and ongoing training.
  • Regularly observe your workers to check they are following safe work procedures. Conduct informal discussions or toolbox talks with them to talk about specific health and safety issues.

Statistics

Safety around moving plant is a SafeWork NSW regulatory priority with a focus on reducing workplace safety incidents related to moving plant, and forms part of the SafeWork NSW Strategic Plan 2024-2029. Moving plant and vehicles such as excavators, forklifts, utes, and trucks create a risk to workers when reversing, loading, and unloading. Incidents, such as workers or others being hit by moving plant or vehicles, can cause injury and death.

Related guidance material

Further information

Back to top