Forklift safety targeted in NSW October compliance blitz
13 Oct 2025•BlueSafe Team•Source: SafeWork NSW
More than 250 SafeWork NSW inspectors will carry out unannounced workplace checks across regional and metropolitan NSW during October, with forklift safety a key focus of the month-long campaign.
The Minns Labor Government’s campaign forms part of National Safe Work Month and follows several workplace injuries and fatalities, including a forklift death in Sydney’s east last month. Inspectors will also check other SafeWork NSW regulatory priorities that pose the greatest risks to workers.
SafeWork NSW has received reports of more than 600 forklift incidents since January 2024. Four resulted in a fatality, while two-thirds were classified as dangerous incidents in which no worker was injured but there was potential for harm.
Manufacturing, postal, transport and warehousing industries accounted for 70 per cent of the reported forklift incidents. Incidents include collisions, rollovers and objects falling from forklifts, with consequences that can be serious and life-changing. Mobile plant, vehicles and fixed machinery are among SafeWork NSW’s five regulatory priorities and are a leading cause of traumatic workplace injuries and deaths.
Minister for Work Health and Safety Sophie Cotsis described the October campaign as a reminder that safety must be the highest priority for forklift operators. She said it followed a $127.7 million investment over four years to address psychosocial hazards and support compliance and enforcement of safe work practices.
Cotsis said an average of one worker dies in the workplace each week. “Every worker has the right to go to work and return home safely to their loved ones.”
Member for Leppington Nathan Hagarty said the number of industrial businesses in his electorate made safety particularly important. He said the checks were about ensuring workers returned home safely, and that no job, deadline or urgency was worth a life.
SafeWork Commissioner Janet Schorer said workplace health and safety required attention every day, rather than only during one month of the year. She said forklifts continued to contribute to deaths and injuries, with substantial human and financial costs for workers, industry and the community. Inspectors would check safety practices at businesses using mobile plant, vehicles and fixed machinery.
Business owners and workers can find resources on managing forklift risks on the SafeWork NSW website. Information about National Safe Work Month is available from Safe Work Australia.
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