Witnesses say teenage apprentices desperately tried to revive the 62-year-old man after he was crushed by a pallet jack at a western suburbs business.
A man was crushed to death after a pallet jack fell on top of him in a horrific workplace accident in the western suburbs on Friday.
The 62-year-old man was loading goods onto a truck at a Croydon Park business at about 7.30am when he fell backwards – with the machine then falling on top of him, crushing him.
A group of teenage apprentices from a nearby business desperately tried to help him, lifting the jack off the man while other witnesses used a defibrillator.
But it’s understood the Parafield Gardens man died at the scene.
The Advertiser understands the incident occurred in the receiving and dispatch area of Priority Health, which closed its doors on Friday.
In a note on the business’s door, management wrote: “We are closed for business today. We apologise for any inconvenience”.
The teenage apprentices were given the rest of the day off after the traumatic death.
SafeWork SA inspectors and investigators attended the site, with inquiries continuing into the incident. Police are preparing a report for the Coroner.
SA Unions secretary Dale Beasley said the man’s death was more than a workplace accident.
“This is a tragedy that no family should have to go through,” he said.
“It shouldn’t take a catastrophic incident like today to see action from an employer or SafeWork SA.
“Priority Health and SafeWork SA have serious questions to answer about what could have been done to prevent this accident.
“Every month, a South Australian worker is killed, many of these fatalities are preventable, our current workplace safety laws are clearly inadequate.”
The man’s death comes just days after two men were seriously injured in a workplace accident at a steel factory in Novar Gardens.
The two male employees from Fielders were reportedly crushed by trucks on Saturday morning. They were rushed to Royal Adelaide Hospital, one with reported chest injuries and the second with multiple fractures.
SafeWork SA is also investigating the incident.
Source: Adelaide Now
