A food service wholesaler has been fined $35,000 after a worker was struck by a forklift and seriously injured at a Dandenong South warehouse last year.

C.C.B. Enterprises Pty Ltd pleaded guilty in the Dandenong Magistrates' Court to a single charge of failing to provide a safe working environment, and a single charge of failing to notify WorkSafe immediately after being aware that an incident had occurred.

The company was fined $35,000 without conviction.

The legal proceedings stem from an incident in April 2021 in which a worker walking across the warehouse floor was struck by a forklift operated by another worker.

The injured warehouse assistant was taken to hospital where he underwent surgery to repair a compound fracture of his leg, multiple fractures of his foot, and muscular damage that required a skin graft.

He suffered post-operative infections and has not since returned to work.

The court heard that the company did not have in place a traffic management plan to separate pedestrians and forklifts, and that it was reasonably practicable for the company to have implemented clearly designated exclusion zones, pedestrian walkways and safety barriers.