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Summary

A customer at a retail distribution centre had her leg amputated when she was struck by a reversing forklift which had just delivered a dishwasher and dryer. Peter Bateman summarises.

Context

• A retail distribution centre had a customer collections area behind its warehouse.
• Customers could park their cars there while awaiting delivery by forklift of their purchase.

Detail

• Two customer vehicles arrived and parked in the collections area.
• One vehicle contained a married couple, the other their son-in-law.
• They went into the retail area and purchased a dishwasher and a dryer.
• The two men waited beside one car for the items to be delivered; the woman waited inside one of the cars.
• A forklift emerged carrying the items and drove to the back of the vehicle beside the two men.
• The forklift driver deposited the items on the ground and reversed the machine.
• At the same time the woman got out of the other car to take a photo of the items.
• She was struck by the reversing forklift.
• She was taken to hospital where her left leg was amputated below the knee.
• She also suffered degloving of her left thigh, lacerations, and a thumb fracture.

Background

• The forklift’s beacon light was not as visible as it should have been because the frame was broken so it was mounted below the roof line.
• Other lights on the forklift were not working at the time. The reversing beeper was working.
• There was no traffic management plan.
• The hazard register identified forklifts as a hazard but not that these hazards operated in the customer collection area.
• The register identified the control as a no-go zone, but there was no such zone.
• CCTV footage from the previous few weeks showed forklifts moving in and around pedestrians on a daily basis.
• The site held weekly toolbox meetings but there was no evidence that pedestrian/ forklift interaction was ever discussed.
• The company had inherited the site from a previous occupant. Redundant traffic management devices were left in place and created confusion for staff and customers.
• A consultant later described the customer collection area as chaotic and unmanaged.

Lessons

• Forklifts and other mobile plant require a rigorous maintenance schedule and daily checks that all safety devices are operating.
• Pedestrians should never be put in a position where they might encounter mobile plant.
• Exclusion zones and physical barriers should be used to ensure this is the case. 
• Site design can include separate entrances and exits for vehicles and pedestrians.
• The need for mobile plant to reverse can be designed out.
• WorkSafe’s document Managing Work Site Traffic was published in February 2021.

Wes van Deventer says this incident highlights important lessons regarding traffic management, vehicle maintenance, and the potential for new technology.

The investigation into this incident showed a lack of adequate segregation between pedestrians and machinery. There were no clearly marked pedestrian no-go zones or physical barriers to prevent pedestrian access to areas where forklifts operate. This lack of segregation has been identified as a significant safety concern, especially in the absence of a comprehensive documented traffic management plan.

An additional area for improvement is the implementation of a proactive maintenance and inspection program for on-site machinery, which includes installed safety features. The forklift involved in this event was found to have a non-functioning beacon light, and visibility was compromised by a single rearview mirror. Furthermore, the lack of completed maintenance check forms highlights the necessity for more rigorous safety inspections and strict adherence to protocols.

Traffic Management Plan

Implementing a comprehensive traffic management plan and communicating it to relevant employees, contractors, and other parties involved is essential to prevent such incidents. This plan should include designated pedestrian zones, physical barriers to separate people from vehicles, and clearly marked pathways. Proper signage would also reinforce safe movements within the premises.

ShopCare’s Line Marking Guidance – see shopcare.org.nz – is a comprehensive guide for commercial and industrial sites, aimed at standardising line markings in Aotearoa. Developed with the retail sector and its supply chain, the guide offers clear, uniform standards to improve visual communication and reduce accidents.

Audit and Review

Every new business or site should undergo a health, safety and wellbeing audit or inspection by a qualified expert before opening. Companies should also strive to have experts review their existing environments and programmes regularly to ensure ongoing compliance and safety.

Technology and Barriers

Adding safety technology to mobile equipment and machinery is another way to reduce the potential for incidents. Examples include proximity sensors, camera systems, guidance lasers, and AI-powered CCTV solutions. AI CCTV can provide real-time monitoring, detect unsafe behaviours, and alert operators to potential hazards. 

However, barriers exist to implementing these solutions. Financial constraints often prevent companies from investing in comprehensive safety measures and advanced technology, while the undervaluation of safety protocols can lead to inconsistent application.

Many businesses are not aware of the guidance, standards, and resources available to them, while resistance to change and the potential disruption of operations during implementation of new safety measures also pose challenges.

Broader Implications

This incident highlights the need for stringent safety practices where heavy machinery operates near pedestrians. It reflects a broader trend of overlooking safety protocols for the sake of operational efficiency. Regulatory bodies must enforce stricter compliance and conduct regular inspections. 

Addressing gaps in traffic management, maintenance, and training, and overcoming implementation barriers can prevent such accidents and promote safer, more responsible workplaces.

Wes van Deventer is Business Manager with ShopCare.

Scott Kyle anticipates the arrival of new training modules to equip retail staff and their line managers to better handle violent and aggressive behaviour from customers.

ShopCare is a Charitable Trust, working in partnership with ACC to reduce workplace harm across the retail Sector and its associated supply chain. ShopCare serves to enable its community to
improve its health, safety, and wellbeing performance by working together for combined positive outcomes and a whole system shift.

Our work is providing a better understanding of the impact that violent and aggressive behaviour (VAB) is having within the retail sector and the significant consequences of these type of incidents on our frontline staff, their whānau, organisations, and the broader community. This is seen to include worker anxiety, poor mental health, illness, physical injury, increased sick leave, absenteeism, low staff morale and increased staff turnover.

The retail industry is a vital part of the economy and includes all physical retail outlets, such as supermarkets, petrol stations, hardware stores, pharmacies, electronics and home appliance stores, dairies, department and clothing stores, and many more. The retail sector employs about 200,000 people spread over almost 28,000 businesses and accounts for 9.6% of all jobs, according to Retail NZ’s sector overview. Furthermore, retail employs a relatively high number of women, youth, older workers, and ethnic minorities – groups which may be more vulnerable to violent and aggressive behaviour.

The Statistics

NZ Police statistics show an overall decrease in key crime categories, with an increase in retail victimisation. The data shows a 115% increase between 2018 and 2023 for crime occurring within retail or at a service station, with robbery increasing by 13% compared to the same period last year, including a potential shift to violent offending.

Also, the recent Retail NZ Retail Crime Report shows that from the retailers who participated, 92% stated they were affected by crime in the 12 months prior to August 2023. And the estimated total cost of retail crime was over $2.6 billion, which equates to more than 1% of New Zealand’s GDP.

ShopCare’s Focus

Key areas of focus for Shopcare include work design (which covers equipment and environment), changes to the “way we work” through processes, and worker participation to address psychosocial risk factors and workplace culture.

In addition to these, training is an important part of the VAB Toolkit and typically includes collateral to equip frontline workers with the right knowledge and skills to avoid getting into a situation where aggression could be an issue, and how to de-escalate or remove themselves from a situation involving aggression or potential violence.

Frontline team member training is where ShopCare – along with our key strategic partner for on-line training, Red Seed – is currently revamping and designing content that will be offered to our sector and wider. This will equip frontline team members on the practical steps they can take to keep themselves safe in a potential VAB situation, as well as outline the most appropriate support that line management should offer the individual and their teams before and after an event.

The content has been developed with input from several experts in this field. ShopCare has collaborated extensively on the content with the NZ Police National Retail Investigation Support Unit (NRISU), WorkSafe, and senior security leaders within the retail sector.

New Online Training Library

The first phase of our new on-line ShopCare training library/content will commence with VAB training and will be available from late February/early March 2024 to provide a base competency that ensures that we reach as many frontline team workers and their managers as possible, as well as the New Zealand community more broadly.

Other sectors that might benefit from the VAB training are frontline teams in the hospitality and public sectors, who are also experiencing an increase in VAB incidents.

Online VAB training modules will be accessible through the ShopCare website shopcare.org.nz, with the plan to be initially free of charge for a period of 12 months to our sector groups so we can capture as many people as possible. The modules will cover these topics:

• Situational Awareness
• Managing an Angry Customer
• Staying Safe
• Supporting your Team

This approach is only achievable due to the key partnerships, dedication and hardworking collaboration with ACC, NZ Police National Retail Investigation Support Unit (NRISU), WorkSafe, Auror, Retail NZ, First Union and Red Seed.

Scott Kyle is the strategic programme manager for the ShopCare Charitable Trust.