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Crushing fatality triggers alert

A 24-year-old rig worker has been crushed to death by pipe racks falling from a truck in Queensland, prompting the State’s Department of Mines and Energy to issue a safety alert.

The truck was being unloaded at a drill site, when the racks fell and struck the worker.

While inspectors are currently investigating the incident and the exact causes are unknown, the Department said a number of safety issues had already been identified.

Load restraint bollards were only fitted onto one side of the truck and people were standing in high risk areas adjacent to the vehicle.

The Department recommends that restraint bollards should be used wherever it is practical to transport of pipe racks and other long loads.

It also recommends that appropriate exclusion zones as well as primary and secondary restraints are put in place for loading and unloading.

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