Safety steps taken to avoid exposure

The Air New Zealand cargo building at Auckland's Ogilvie Drive was evacuated last Friday morning .

An item labelled as having radioactive contents that was delivered early that morning was discovered to have damage to its outside packaging. However, further inspection by cargo staff revealed the inner packaging to be completely secure with no leakage of any hazardous materials.

This was confirmed by independent testing.

Arrangements were made to have the piece of machinery repacked in a safe manner.

As a precautionary measure, and following standard airline procedures, the building was evacuated and emergency services notified.

Four staff members exposed to the package were checked by St Johns, which had no health concerns for them.

Air New Zealand Security and Occupational Health and Safety teams will be conducting follow-up investigations.


National forklift competition

The Supply Chain and Logistics Association of Australia (SCLAA) has officially launched the 'Great Fork Off', a national forklift competition.

The competition will commence in January and conclude in April 2008.

The finalists of each heat will compete at the Grand Final which will be held during MATEX 08 at Sydney Olympic Park on April 17, 2008.

The competition is designed to improve forklift awareness, load shifting knowledge and OH&S in the supply chain and logistics industry - and have some fun along the way.

Schaefer Sydney will be hosting all of the NSW-based semi-finals as well as providing a sausage sizzle, drinks and activities for the family during the heats. Hyster will be providing the forklifts for the Grand Final at MATEX 08.

To enter the competition, hopefuls must be licensed forklift operators.

To download a registration form, log onto www.sclaa.com.au or email your request to nsw@sclaa.com.au

Man severely injured in forklift accident

A 45-year-old man remains in a critical condition in Royal Perth Hospital after being severely injured in a forklift accident this week in Welshpool, according to a report in ABC News.

The man's forklift toppled while working in a container yard. He remained trapped under the vehicle for almost two hours as emergency crews worked to free him.