Man killed at hire yard

By Glen Atwell
A DEVON Meadows man was killed in a workplace accident at Coates Hire in Dandenong South on Friday.
Colin Todd, 44, was loading a boom lift onto a trailer at the hire yard on South Gippsland Highway when he was struck by the machine and died.
Mr Todd was working alone at the time and the cause of the incident remains unknown.
His death was the sixth work-related fatality in Victoria this year, double the amount during the same period last year.
WorkSafe spokesman Michael Birt said the incident at Coates Hire occurred during an extensive campaign with WorkSafe inspectors targeting safety in equipment hire yards.
“People must ensure that safety in the workplace is always first priority,” Mr Birt said.
“We are currently in the middle of a program focusing on hire yard safety, so this death was extremely unfortunate.
“Shortcuts are sometimes taken and employees are working under extreme pressure.
“We need to go back to basics and look out for one another.
“The difference between injury and death is often just a few seconds,” Mr Birt said.