Seatbelt decision contributed to Joshua John Dingjan’s tragic workplace death: Coroner

A Launceston man killed in a workplace forklift accident 10 years ago would not have died if he had been using the vehicle’s seatbelt, a Tasmanian coroner says. The findings.

Coroner Chris Webster was investigating the death of Joshua John Dingjan.

A Launceston man killed in a workplace forklift accident 10 years ago would not have died if he had been using the vehicle’s seat belt, a Tasmanian coroner has found.

Joshua John Dingjan was 24 years old when he died working at the St Leonards headquarters of Roadside Products Pty Ltd on 7 November, 2013.

Coroner Robert Webster found that Mr Dingjan was operating on a sloped surface when he used a forklift to unload a 1900kg pack of sheet steel from the back of a delivery truck.

When the steel shifted on the forklift’s metal tynes, Mr Dingjan swung the load down the slope causing the forklift to topple onto its right side.

“Mr Dingjan was fatally injured when he received crush injuries to his neck and chest as the forklift truck impacted with the ground,” Mr Webster found.

Mr Webster found that Mr Dingjan held a valid forklift licence at the time of his death, was known to be a competent driver, and was considered a hard worker by colleagues.

A witness to Mr Dingjan’s accident told the inquest: “Josh went - had one bite but it was - it was tilting, and he put the steel down and and had another go at it and got it level and then he told me to get out of the way just in case anything happened,” the witness said.

“So, I walked from the side of the truck to the cab side and when I heard a bang that hit the truck and I come around, I seen the forklift on its side.”

Another witness told the inquest that the site where Mr Dingjan was driving the forklift appeared to be unsafe for loading or unloading operations.

“My initial reaction would have been seeing the slope, the site, what was carrying on it, what had happened and you know immediately you would think you know there’s a danger there, there’s a risk at that site,” the witness said.

The inquest also heard that although steel rolls usually arrived at RP loaded onto wooden pallets, there was no such packaging attached to the load Mr Dingjan moved.

Mr Webster found that unloading on a sloped surface, and not wearing a sealtbelt, were both errors contrary to the forklift training Mr Dingjan had received.

Mr Webster found that because RP no longer operated in Tasmania, he would make no specific recommendations regarding the business or the St Leonards site.

But the coroner said the case warranted general recommendations with respect to the transport and logistics industry, including that all drivers of forklifts use any seatbelt provided when operating the machine; that forklift operators not load or unload a truck on a slope; and that all packs of steel should be attached to a pallet to prevent slipping.

Mr Webster conveyed his condolences to the family and loved ones of Mr Dingjan.