When Controls Are Bypassed: JBS Australia Fined After Forklift Crushes Worker

On 14 Jul 22, a forklift reversed inside the chilled stack-down area of JBS Australia’s Yanco feedlot, striking a 57-year-old worker. The collision caused catastrophic crush injuries that led to the amputation of the worker’s left leg.

This month, the company was convicted and fined $330,000 under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW) after pleading guilty to failing to ensure the health and safety of its workers.

What Went Wrong

Investigators found that key engineering controls designed to prevent the very risk that caused the incident were not operational. The rapid roller door, which separated pedestrians from forklifts, had been switched from automatic to manual mode, effectively bypassing the induction-loop sensor and visual monitoring system. This left no reliable physical barrier or visual warning to prevent a pedestrian from entering the forklift operating zone.

Additionally, there was no effective supervision to ensure that these systems were functioning properly or that safe operating procedures were followed. The court found the risk of serious injury or death was clearly foreseeable, and that simple, low-cost actions—such as restoring automatic door function and enforcing pedestrian exclusion—could have prevented the incident.

A Pattern of Non-Compliance

This is not JBS Australia’s first serious safety breach. The company has been convicted multiple times over incidents involving unguarded machinery, inadequate traffic management, and worker injuries across its national operations. Each case reinforces a culture where written systems exist, but practical verification and control assurance break down at the site level.

Lessons for Industry

This case serves as a stark reminder that engineered controls are only effective when they are active, adequately maintained, and regularly verified. When systems are overridden for convenience or production efficiency, risk re-emerges instantly.

Key takeaways for transport, logistics, and processing operations:

1. Assurance, not assumption: Verify that barriers, sensors, and door systems are operational before each shift.

2. Control overrides: Require supervisor approval and documented justification whenever a system is placed in manual mode.

3. Traffic management: Maintain strict pedestrian exclusion zones and visible segregation in all mixed-use areas.

4. Learning culture: Treat every control failure as a near miss that demands review, not as an operational inconvenience.

Safety Jon Commentary

The JBS case hits close to home for anyone running heavy-vehicle or materials-handling operations. Systems often degrade gradually, an override here, a temporary fix there, until the controls that once made the workplace safe become theatre.

In real-world safety leadership, our job is not to install systems and walk away; it’s to ensure they stay alive.

The moment we allow a bypass to become business as usual, we trade reliability for risk.

I’ve seen firsthand what forklifts can do to people, and trust me, you don't want to be involved in anything related to a forklift incident.