Australia Post fined for forklift accident

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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Australia Post has been fined $160,000 over a workplace incident in which a mail centre worker lost a leg when he was run over by a forklift.

Leonard Bobart was three days shy of his 73rd birthday when he was hit by the forklift while working at the Toowoomba Mail Centre on July 7, 2008.

Mr Bobart, who was casually employed as a contractor in the loading dock, was thrown to the ground by the impact.

The grandfather of 18 had his right leg amputated at the knee, spent more than a month in hospital.

Federal work safety regulator Comcare launched action in the Federal Court in Brisbane late last year, and the matter was the subject of a penalty hearing on Monday.

The court heard Australia Post admitted it had breached the Occupational Health and Safety Act by failing to properly control pedestrian and vehicle traffic in the congested loading dock.

It had also failed to properly provide safety training to contractors like Mr Bobart.

Justice John Logan said he accepted submissions that the company had gone to great lengths to draft safety regulations.

However, he said the lack of implementation of these regulations at Toowoomba represented a serious "failure in the corporation's chain of command".

"It's all very well to have well thought out policies, but they are so much chaff unless there is a conscious and continuous effort to enforce them, and create a culture where enforcement is expected and adherence is the norm," Justice Logan said.

"That a foreseeable injury would occur was a given in this case."

Justice Logan said he accepted that Australia Post had since taken steps to improve its safety strategies, but said any penalty should reflect the need for deterrence.

He fined Australia Post $160,000 and ordered the corporation pay $80,000 in legal costs.

[POSTMAN]

Leonard Bobart was three days shy of his 73rd birthday