SafeWork SA is warning operators of mobile plant of the significant risks to workers and pedestrians following 14 deaths in the past five years.
Powered mobile plant includes forklifts, tractors elevating work platforms, delivery vehicles, order pickers, earthmoving equipment, prime movers, cranes and other industrial equipment and machinery that is designed to be easily transported and used at various locations.
In South Australia over the past five financial years (2020–21 to 2024–25), SafeWork SA received 81 notifiable serious injury notifications involving powered mobile plant.
These incidents resulted in:
- 14 fatalities
- 67 serious injuries, including:
- 51 people struck by operating mobile plant
- 25 serious injuries linked to forklifts, 16 to motor vehicles, 8 to trucks, and 6 to cranes
- 9 injuries due to vehicle roll-aways.
The industries with the highest number of notifiable incidents were:
- 14 Transport, Postal and Warehousing
- 9 Construction
- 8 Wholesale Trade
- 6 Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
- 5 Retail Trade.
Legislative responsibilities
Under the Work Health and Safety Act and Regulations, businesses must eliminate or, where not reasonably practicable, minimise risks to health and safety associated with mobile plant.
This includes:
- consulting with workers on hazard identification and risk control
- providing adequate information, training, instruction, and supervision
- ensuring all workers, including contractors and visitors, understand and follow site-specific traffic management procedures.
Risk Management and Control Measures
Identify Hazards
In consultation with workers and plant operators, identify:
- where mobile plant is used
- where interactions with pedestrians or other plant may occur
- potential collision points with people, other plant, or structures.
Eliminate Risks Where Possible
- design site layouts to physically separate pedestrians and vehicles (e.g. separate entry points, overhead walkways)
- schedule work to avoid simultaneous operation of plant and pedestrian access in the same area.
Minimise Risks with Control Measures
If elimination is not practicable, implement a traffic management plan that includes:
- substituting high-risk plant with safer alternatives (e.g. pallet jacks instead of forklifts)
- installing physical barriers, bollards, exclusion zones, and safety rails
- using audible and visual alerts (e.g. reversing alarms, flashing lights)
- designing site layouts to reduce plant movement and reversing
- establishing clear traffic flow, signage, right-of-way rules, and speed limits
- deploying spotters or traffic controllers where necessary
- restricting access to essential personnel
- requiring high-visibility clothing for all personnel in shared zones
- preventing vehicle roll-aways by implementing shutdown procedures before exiting the vehicle that include:
- engaging the parking brake
- parking on level ground wherever possible
- undertaking maintenance checks that include inspection of braking systems and parking mechanism
- ensuring workers are trained to recognise and respond to roll-away risks.
- preparing a Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) for high-risk construction work activities involving powered mobile plant.
Maintain and Review Controls
Control measures must be regularly reviewed to ensure ongoing effectiveness, especially in dynamic environments such as construction sites. Systems should be in place to:
- monitor and assess control effectiveness
- encourage reporting and feedback
- ensure compliance with procedures
- anticipate and manage changes to site layout, equipment, or processes
- evaluate new technologies or safer alternatives.