NSW Forklift Safety Report – February 2023

Background

• Persons/worker being hit by a forklift.
• Inadequate traffic management (e.g., no traffic management plan or process for separating plant from pedestrians).
• Falling objects as a result of unstable loads, overloading, or incorrect use of attachments.
• Workers being ejected during a tip over or plant instability, as systems were not in place to prevent the operator being ejected e.g., not wearing a seatbelt.
• Persons Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBUs) allowing unlicensed operators or operators with expired licences to use forklifts.

To increase awareness of forklift related risks, SafeWork NSW commenced its forklift safety compliance project in June 2021, however due to COVID-19 the project was suspended.

In November 2021, the forklift safety compliance project recommenced, with Inspectors visiting sites across the Sydney Metropolitan area with a focus on:

• high-risk work licences
• traffic management
• forklift maintenance
• wearing of seatbelts
• appropriate use of forklift attachments to ensure loads being shifted were secure.

Consultation and communication

Prior to and during the forklift safety compliance campaign, SafeWork NSW provided information and resources to increase forklift safety awareness and duties and obligations to prevent workplace incidents.

SafeWork NSW Inspectors have engaged with over 600 businesses across multiple industry sectors and business sizes.

Inspectors provided education and formal direction to over 230 businesses to help them meet their forklift safety, and other Work Health and Safety (WHS) obligations.

More than 400 businesses were confirmed as meeting their obligations.

SafeWork NSW continues to engage with businesses through the recently re-established Manufacturing Safety Group.

System, processes, and environment

• Create a system to manage high-risk work licenses.
• Conduct regular forklift maintenance as per the manufacturer’s guidelines.
• Assess, implement, monitor, and review traffic management procedures.
• Implement a system to ensure that forklifts are inspected and maintained by a competent person.
• Create a system to identify the relevant risks associated with mobile plant in the workplace and determine the appropriate controls (e.g., administrative, engineering or PPE) to mitigate risks.
• Ensure you have a system to consult with employees, and their representatives, to conduct assessments.
• Separate people from moving forklifts where possible by having designated walkways.
• In addition to identified walkways ensure workers and pedestrians are separated from forklifts by using physical barriers, identified crossings and good lighting.

Day-to-day actions

• Ensure the forklift operator has their high-risk work licence.
• Ensure forklift operators always wear a seatbelt.
• Ensure appropriate use of forklift attachments.
• Ensure forklift operators only move stable loads and ensure their vision is not obstructed when travelling.
• Use attachments if needed and do not travel with a load that obscures vision. If necessary and vision is obscured, drive in reverse or if not possible, use a trained spotter.
• Use a suitable forklift for the load with the correct load capacity.
• Follow the manufacturers and operator’s manual for the use of the forklift in the workplace.
• Ensure workers and visitors adhere to your traffic management plan and/ or site safety rules.
• Ensure Forklift operators conduct pre-start checklists prior to using plant.

Overview

Inspector site visits

• 123 Outer west and Blue Mountains
• 87 Blacktown
• 86 Parramatta
• 93 Central Coast

*Australian Bureau of Statistics – Statistical Areas

Inspections by industry sector

Inspector site visits took place within four main industry sectors where forklifts were likely to be in use.

• Manufacturing 43%
• Wholesale 29%
• Other 12%
• Storage 10%
• Transport 6%

Inspections by business size

The highest number of businesses inspected were from the “small business" category, followed by “medium” and “large” businesses.

• Small 1 – 20: 64%
• Medium 21 – 100:  24%
• Large 101+: 12%

Notices issued

A total of 493 Compliance Notices

• Improvement 92%
• Prohibition 4%
• Penalty 4%

Of the 493 Compliance Notices issues by Inspectors:

• 18 were Penalty Notices with a joint value of $19,584
• 14 (82%) Notices were issued to individual workers
• 4 (18%) Notices were issued to Corporations.

Industry sectors snapshot

Manufacturing

• 276 inspections
• 99 non-compliant inspections
• 225 HRW licence checks – 46%
• 206 Notices issued – 43%

Main reason for non compliance

The PCBU did not have appropriate control systems in place to ensure forklift operators use an appropriate attachment.

Storage

• 67 inspections
• 20 non-compliant inspections
• 39 HRW licence checks – 8%
• 36 Notices issued – 7%

Main reason for non compliance

The PCBU did not have appropriate control systems in place to ensure forklift operators use an appropriate attachment.

Transport

• 42 inspections
• 18 non-compliant inspections
• 19 HRW licence checks – 4%
• 33 notices issues – 7%

Main reason for non compliance

The PCBU did not have appropriate control systems in place to ensure forklift operators use an appropriate attachment.

Wholesale

• 186 inspections
• 73 non-compliant inspections
• 141 HRW licence checks – 29%
• 133 notices issued – 28%

Main reason for non-compliance

The PCBU did not have appropriate control systems in place to separate forklifts from pedestrians.

Other

• 77 inspections
• 33 non-compliant inspections
• 61 HRW licence checks – 13%
• 73 notices issued – 15%

Main reason for non-compliance

The PCBU did not have appropriate control systems in place to ensure forklift operators use an appropriate attachment.

Inspector observations

During visits, Inspectors observed the following:

• PCBUs did not have appropriate control systems in place to: 
  • ensure forklift operators use an appropriate attachment.
  • separate forklifts from pedestrians.
  • ensure operators always wear a seatbelt.
  • manage their forklift operators’ HRW licences.
• Forklifts were not being maintained in a safe condition.
• HRW licences were not made available by licence holder.

Forklift safety – Inspector observations

Outcomes

• The PCBU has appropriate control systems in place to ensure their operators use an appropriate attachment when needed.
  • Yes 69%
  • No 31%
• The PCBU has adequate control systems in place to separate forklifts from pedestrians.
  • Yes 79%
  • No 21%
• The PCBU has appropriate control systems in place to ensure their operators always wear a seatbelt.
  • Yes 87%
  • No 13%
• The PCBU has appropriate systems in place to manage their operators HRW licence
  • Yes  87%
  • No  13%
• Is the forklift truck maintained in a safe condition?
  • Yes  88%
  • No 12%
• HRW licence made available by licence holder.
  • Yes 89%
  • No 11%
• These operators have a current/valid HRW licence with LF.
  • Yes 93%
  • No 7%
• The PCBU has appropriate control systems in place to ensure their operators only shift stable loads.
  • Yes 96%
  • No 4%

Compliant and non-compliant outcomes were determined by SafeWork NSW Inspectors at the time of visit.

Where to get more help