WORKSAFE Victoria says it is investigating the 14th workplace fatality of 2010, after a 51 year-old man was crushed while repairing a 4WD in Dandenong.
The incident occurred in the evening of 22 July, when the front of the vehicle was on a ramp and the rear jacked up with a hydraulic trolley jack. The vehicle dropped and rolled back, crushing the man.
WorkSafe Victoria says it was the second workplace fatality involving a hydraulic jack to occur in eight days.
On July 14, a 41 year-old worker was struck by a steel beam at Appleton Dock, after hydraulic jacks controlling a lifting device failed to operate in unison.
According to WorkSafe Victoria, there are a number of ways to stay safe while working under a suspended vehicle. Lifting devices should be suited to the work being performed, and there should be backup measures in place in case anything goes wrong.