Queensland employer fined 180,000 after death of young worker

A Queensland transport company has been fined $180,000 for failing to comply with health and safety laws after a teenager was crushed to death operating a vehicle loading crane at Westside Christian College in 2012.

Head of Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ) Dr Simon Blackwood said this was a tragic example of a young employee desperately trying to please his boss, but way out of his depth – a situation the company could’ve easily avoided.

“Around 50 young Queenslanders a day – mostly young men suffer a compensable work injury, and one a day is permanently impaired,” Dr Blackwood said.

Since the tragedy, the company has stopped similar jobs and no longer uses the vehicle involved in the incident.

Magistrate David Shepherd said the young man died trying to do his best for his employer and had no doubt company bosses feel this matter very deeply and personally.

Dr Blackwood said for his family, this is closure. For everyone else, it’s a timely reminder to put measures in place to ensure safe working environments so that employees go home to their families every day.

"Young workers have a unique risk profile and it’s up to employers to consider this when managing them. A proper induction, plenty of support and much needed training are vital," he said.

Work health and safety laws require employers to:
•  identify the health and safety risks of particular work tasks and adopt procedures to eliminate or control them;
•  train workers in the procedures and provide them with any safety equipment they need;
•  ensure workers perform their tasks safely by providing training, supervision and support; and
•  encourage workers to speak to supervisors about any health and safety concerns.

Since July 2016, the Office of Industrial Relations has successfully completed 21 prosecutions in the courts, leading to fines totaling three quarters of a million dollars.

Over the same period, WHSQ issued 37 infringement notices with fines totaling more than $94,000, as well as 921 improvement notices and 265 prohibition notices.

For more information on managing young workers, contact ISOsafe at enquiries@isosafe.com.au. We support business owners; helping create safe and compliant workplaces.