Melbourne, Australia— A worker was killed at around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday when a forklift tipped over inside a large distribution warehouse in Melbourne's west, pinning him beneath the mast and crushing his chest.
The incident occurred at a logistics facility in Derrimut, a suburb that houses dozens of freight and storage sheds. According to Victoria Police, the 27-year-old man was operating a loaded forklift near a racking aisle when the machine hit an uneven floor joint. The load shifted. The forklift rolled onto its side. Co-workers rushed to lift it but could not move the weight.
Paramedics from Ambulance Victoria arrived within 12 minutes and found the man unresponsive under the machine. A second forklift was used to raise the tipped unit. CPR was attempted for 20 minutes. He was declared dead at the scene at 11:05 a.m. A second worker who witnessed the incident was treated for shock.
The warehouse is operated by a national third-party logistics provider. It stores retail goods and handles daily dispatch for supermarkets. Staff said the facility had been running at high capacity due to a promotional sale this week. The aisle where the accident happened was reportedly congested with pallets staged for outbound loading.
WorkSafe Victoria inspectors arrived by noon and issued a prohibition notice for all forklift operations in the building. They seized the forklift for mechanical examination and requested CCTV footage, maintenance logs, and the operator's high-risk work license records. Early information suggests the load may have exceeded the machine's rated capacity at that lift height.
"He was a good operator, always wore his seatbelt," said one colleague who declined to be named. "The floor there is rough. Everyone knows it. You hit that lip and the whole thing shudders." The company said in a statement it was cooperating fully and offering counseling to staff.
The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and the Transport Workers Union both attended the site Tuesday afternoon. They called for an industry-wide audit of warehouse floors and racking layouts. One union organizer said forklift rollovers remain one of the top killers in Victorian warehouses, with four deaths in the past two years.
WorkSafe Victoria said it would examine whether traffic management plans were in place and whether loads were properly secured. The regulator noted that workplaces have a duty to ensure floors are maintained and free of hazards that could affect mobile plant stability. No charges have been laid.
The warehouse remains closed. Workers have been sent home on paid leave pending clearance. Investigators will conduct a stability test and floor survey on Wednesday.
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