A Victorian traffic management company has been charged following the death of a worker who was struck by a passing truck while packing up road signage on the Western Highway.
WorkSafe Victoria charged BCivil Recruitment Pty Ltd on 2 November 2026 — approximately 20 months after the death of a 55-year-old worker at Lawloit on the Western Highway, between Kaniva and Nhill, in January 2025.
The worker was struck while packing up road signage with a co-worker when a truck hit him. WorkSafe alleged the company did not maintain a safe system of work for sign-handling tasks, including workers crossing live traffic lanes.
Two charges were laid: one under section 21(1) of the OHS Act (the duty to maintain a safe working environment for workers) and one under section 23(1) (the duty to protect persons other than employees from risks arising from the undertaking). The matter was listed for a filing hearing at Horsham Magistrates’ Court on 4 November 2026.
The charges highlight the acute and ongoing hazards faced by traffic management workers on Australian roads, and the responsibility of labour hire and traffic control companies to ensure their systems of work keep workers safe — including at the conclusion of a job when equipment is being packed up and workers may be less focused on the traffic environment around them.
