diff --git a/swift/template/vision_utils.py b/swift/template/vision_utils.py
index 9b828f6765..362547eac0 100644
--- a/swift/template/vision_utils.py
+++ b/swift/template/vision_utils.py
@@ -296,7 +296,60 @@ def uniform_sample(_l, _n):
     return frames
 
 
-def load_audio(audio: Union[str, bytes], sampling_rate: int, return_sr: bool = False):
+def _decode_worker(conn, func, args, kwargs):
+    try:
+        conn.send((True, func(*args, **kwargs)))
+    except Exception as e:
+        conn.send((False, e))
+    finally:
+        conn.close()
+
+
+def _decode_with_timeout(func: Callable[..., _T], *args, **kwargs) -> _T:
+    # Native media decoders (audioread/ffmpeg, decord) can deadlock in C while holding the GIL on a
+    # corrupt/unsupported clip, silently hanging a DataLoader worker forever; a signal-based timeout
+    # can't interrupt them. When `MEDIA_DECODE_TIMEOUT` (seconds) > 0, decode in a killable subprocess.
+    timeout = get_env_args('media_decode_timeout', float, 0)
+    if not timeout or timeout <= 0:
+        return func(*args, **kwargs)
+    import multiprocessing as mp
+
+    # Fork the decode worker: load_audio runs inside the data pipeline where fork is already the
+    # norm (PyTorch DataLoader), and unlike forkserver/spawn it does not re-import the training
+    # entrypoint per call. Fall back to the default context where fork is unavailable.
+    try:
+        ctx = mp.get_context('fork')
+    except ValueError:
+        ctx = mp.get_context()
+    # Use a Pipe + poll() rather than a (Simple)Queue: a Queue is backed by an OS pipe, so the
+    # worker's send blocks once the decoded payload exceeds the pipe buffer (~64KB) until the parent
+    # reads -- but the parent would be in join(), so every real audio/video clip would deadlock and
+    # false-timeout. poll(timeout) waits for the decode to finish (the worker sends only after
+    # decoding); recv() then drains the payload, unblocking the worker as it writes.
+    recv_conn, send_conn = ctx.Pipe(duplex=False)
+    process = ctx.Process(target=_decode_worker, args=(send_conn, func, args, kwargs))
+    process.start()
+    send_conn.close()  # parent only reads; closing its copy lets recv() see EOF if the worker dies
+    try:
+        if not recv_conn.poll(timeout):
+            process.terminate()
+            process.join()
+            raise TimeoutError(f'Media decode exceeded MEDIA_DECODE_TIMEOUT={timeout}s and was killed '
+                               '(likely a corrupt or unsupported clip).')
+        try:
+            ok, payload = recv_conn.recv()
+        except EOFError:
+            process.join()
+            raise RuntimeError(f'Media decode subprocess exited abnormally (exitcode={process.exitcode}).')
+    finally:
+        recv_conn.close()
+    process.join()
+    if not ok:
+        raise payload
+    return payload
+
+
+def _load_audio(audio: Union[str, bytes], sampling_rate: int):
     import librosa
     try:
         audio_io = load_file(audio)
@@ -308,6 +361,11 @@ def load_audio(audio: Union[str, bytes], sampling_rate: int, return_sr: bool = F
         else:
             audio_io = _check_path(audio) or audio
         res = librosa.load(audio_io, sr=sampling_rate)
+    return res
+
+
+def load_audio(audio: Union[str, bytes], sampling_rate: int, return_sr: bool = False):
+    res = _decode_with_timeout(_load_audio, audio, sampling_rate)
     return res if return_sr else res[0]
 
 
diff --git a/tests/utils/test_vision_utils.py b/tests/utils/test_vision_utils.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c48f883ce4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/utils/test_vision_utils.py
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+import os
+import time
+import unittest
+
+from swift.template.vision_utils import _decode_with_timeout
+
+
+def _sleep_forever(*args, **kwargs):
+    time.sleep(3600)
+
+
+def _echo(value):
+    return value
+
+
+def _raise_value_error(*args, **kwargs):
+    raise ValueError('boom')
+
+
+def _big_payload(*args, **kwargs):
+    # ~1 MB, far above the ~64 KB OS pipe buffer that made a SimpleQueue worker block its put()
+    # while the parent waited in join() -- a deadlock that false-timed-out every real media clip.
+    return b'x' * (1024 * 1024)
+
+
+class TestDecodeWithTimeout(unittest.TestCase):
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        self._saved_timeout = os.environ.get('MEDIA_DECODE_TIMEOUT')
+
+    def tearDown(self):
+        if self._saved_timeout is None:
+            os.environ.pop('MEDIA_DECODE_TIMEOUT', None)
+        else:
+            os.environ['MEDIA_DECODE_TIMEOUT'] = self._saved_timeout
+
+    def test_kills_hung_decode(self):
+        # A decode that never returns must be killed and surface a TimeoutError rather than hang.
+        os.environ['MEDIA_DECODE_TIMEOUT'] = '2'
+        start = time.time()
+        with self.assertRaises(TimeoutError):
+            _decode_with_timeout(_sleep_forever)
+        self.assertLess(time.time() - start, 30)
+
+    def test_returns_result_when_fast(self):
+        os.environ['MEDIA_DECODE_TIMEOUT'] = '10'
+        self.assertEqual(_decode_with_timeout(_echo, 'ok'), 'ok')
+
+    def test_propagates_decode_error(self):
+        os.environ['MEDIA_DECODE_TIMEOUT'] = '10'
+        with self.assertRaises(ValueError):
+            _decode_with_timeout(_raise_value_error)
+
+    def test_disabled_calls_directly(self):
+        # Default (unset / 0): no subprocess, original behavior and zero overhead.
+        os.environ.pop('MEDIA_DECODE_TIMEOUT', None)
+        self.assertEqual(_decode_with_timeout(_echo, 'direct'), 'direct')
+
+    def test_handles_large_payload(self):
+        # A decoded payload larger than the OS pipe buffer must transfer without deadlocking the
+        # worker (regression: the previous SimpleQueue implementation false-timed-out here).
+        os.environ['MEDIA_DECODE_TIMEOUT'] = '10'
+        self.assertEqual(_decode_with_timeout(_big_payload), b'x' * (1024 * 1024))
+
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    unittest.main()