Pedestrian Proximity Alarms in Warehousing Australia: Protecting People Where Movement Never Stops

Executive Summary

Warehousing and logistics are the backbone of Australia’s supply chain - but they’re also among its most dangerous environments. Forklifts, delivery vehicles, and pedestrians share confined, fast-paced spaces where a single blind spot can change lives, In 2018, 62 percent of work-related fatalities in Australia were vehicle-related.¹ Many of these incidents occurred inside warehouses, distribution centres, and industrial yards designed for throughput rather than separation.

This paper examines the causes behind pedestrian-vehicle collisions, the regulatory obligations under Australia’s Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws, and how intelligent pedestrian proximity alarms are helping modern worksites protect people, reduce downtime, and shift from reactive compliance to proactive prevention.

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1. The Scale of the Problem

Vehicle incidents remain one of Australia’s leading causes of serious injury and death in the workplace. Despite advancements in training, signage, and PPE, the number of near misses inside warehouses continues to rise as demand for rapid fulfillment increases.
Many of these incidents share a consistent profile:

• Forklifts operating in mixed pedestrian zones.
• Limited physical barriers between aisles, staging areas, and loading docks.
• High volumes of casual or agency staff unfamiliar with local safety procedures.
  

The result is a high-risk environment that depends heavily on driver vigilance and communication two human factors that are easily compromised under fatigue or production pressure.

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2. WHS Law: Treat Every Vehicle as a Workplace

Under Australia’s Work Health and Safety Regulations, all vehicles used for work are considered workplaces in their own right.² That legal definition means every moving vehicle brings with it a full suite of safety responsibilities:

• Formal risk assessments for vehicle operation, including “grey fleet” vehicles used by contractors.
• Traffic management plans that clearly separate pedestrian and vehicle paths.
• Training and supervision appropriate to the specific hazards of vehicle operation.
• Technology integration to improve visibility and detection.
• Monitoring of supply chain pressures that could compromise safety outcomes.
  

Failure to meet these obligations exposes companies, and their directors to legal and financial risk in the event of an incident.

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3. The Visibility Gap: Why Pedestrians Are Still Being Struck

Despite compliance requirements, many accidents share the same root causes identified by Safe Work Australia and industry audits:

A. Poor Traffic Management

• Warehouse layouts often evolve organically as storage and throughput increase. Without updated traffic maps and physical controls, pedestrians and vehicles are forced into shared paths.

B. Lack of Visibility

• Forklift masts, high shelving, and stacked pallets create blind zones where operators cannot see pedestrians. Even with mirrors or cameras, limited reaction time and human error make visual reliance insufficient.

C. Inadequate Risk Assessment

• Dynamic workplaces rarely have static risk profiles. New contractors, altered shift patterns, and fluctuating product loads all introduce new risks that traditional annual assessments fail to capture.

D. Supply Chain Pressure

• Tight delivery deadlines and throughput targets push operators to prioritise speed over caution. These pressures are a consistent factor in near-miss investigations.

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4. How Pedestrian Proximity Alarms Close the Gap

Pedestrian proximity alarms represent a crucial evolution in mobile plant safety. SonaSafe provides a real-time, engineered layer of protection that supplements (not replaces) administrative and behavioural controls. SonaSafe Lite+ proximity technology uses sonar and radio frequency detection to identify pedestrians and other vehicles around mobile plant, delivering real-time alerts both the operator and the pedestrian when a risk is detected.

Key Functions in a Warehouse Setting:

• Detection in blind zones: Sensors identify movement even when operators have no line of sight.
• Configurable zones: Warning and stop distances are set to match each site’s environment, aisle width, and vehicle type.
• Dual alerts: Both driver and pedestrian receive simultaneous audio and visual warnings when exclusion zones are breached.
• Dynamic adjustment: Detection zones expand or contract based on speed and direction of travel, maintaining protection without slowing workflow.
  

This intelligent approach reduces false alarms and increases operator trust, critical for maintaining system adoption and effectiveness.

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5. Integrating Alarms into a Complete WHS Strategy

Pedestrian proximity alarms are most effective when paired with robust process and culture. The best-performing warehouses combine technology with disciplined management practices, including:

1. Comprehensive traffic management plans that are reviewed and updated as site conditions change.
2. Ongoing training programs ensuring both permanent and casual staff understand alert signals and safe behaviour.
3. Formal monitoring of near misses and trends through cloud-based dashboards.
4. Leadership engagement, with managers using real data to inform layout redesigns and safety investments.
   

SonaSafe’s platform provides 24/7 monitoring and visual reporting, turning every detection event into a data point for continuous improvement.

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6. Managing Supply Chain Pressure

Safety performance cannot exist in isolation from operational realities. Tight deadlines, high throughput, and constant external pressure from clients or transport partners often create conditions for risk-taking. By automating detection and alerting, SonaSafe Lite+ alleviates some of the human stress in high-pressure environments. Operators can work confidently knowing the system is constantly scanning their surroundings, allowing them to maintain productivity without compromising safety.

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7. Building a Safer Future for Australian Warehousing

The combination of advanced technology and strong safety culture is reshaping Australia’s warehousing sector. Pedestrian proximity alarms are not a luxury, they are a practical necessity for any business seeking to meet modern WHS expectations and avoid preventable tragedy. As Australia’s industrial supply chain continues to expand, the workplaces that succeed will be those that treat safety as a performance advantage, not a cost. SonaSafe Lite+ helps them get there by providing configurable, intelligent, and measurable protection for every movement on site.

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➡️ Learn how SonaSafe Lite+ helps Australian warehouses reduce near misses and protect people where movement never stops. Book a demo or contact our team