New Zealand construction firm fined after worker injured in 2.9m fall

The construction company was fined $34,000 and ordered to pay reparations of $16,000 after pleading guilty to one charge under sections 6 and 50 (1) (a) of the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992.
On 22 October 2015, the worker was installing a flooring system on the second storey of a house in Timaru in the southern Canterbury region of New Zealand. The system is a composite steel flooring system made of lightweight, pre-formed steel sheets.
While drilling timber fascia boards to a steel beam, the steel sheets, which the worker was using as a work platform, moved and the worker fell 2.9m onto the concrete floor. He was knocked unconscious, sustained fractures, and suffers fatigue and headaches as a result of his head injury.
A WorkSafe investigation revealed the company had failed to complete adequate planning and hazard assessment in relation to the work, which would have included assessing whether the sheets made a safe work platform and making sure that the sheets were installed in line with the manufacturer’s instructions.
The worker was unfamiliar with the installation process and had received no training on how to do so. No one had checked that the worker installed the sheets correctly.
WorkSafe’s Construction Programme Manager Marcus Nalter said “working from height is a well-known risk in the construction industry and it must be managed appropriately at all times.”
Nalter added, “The company should have ensured that the fitting of the flooring system was being done correctly and appropriate controls were in place to prevent a fall from height, such as providing a safe working platform.”
“People working in high risk industries such as construction should be able to trust that the employer has their workers’ safety at the front of their mind. In this instance, The company’s inattention to safety has resulted in injury and ongoing health impacts for the worker,” said Mr Nalter.
The importance of training and hazard management while working at height has been reinforced here. Don’t risk non-compliance contact ISOsafe today on 1300 789 132 

Victorian courts order local businesses to pay record $6.2 million in penalties over health and safety breaches in 2015-16

WorkSafe Victoria have revealed that over the 2015-16 financial year, 108 businesses and 21 individuals were fined totalling more than $6.2 million.

Of the 108 businesses, almost 40 were from construction sector. The worst offenders included:
A piling, foundations and ground engineering company which was convicted and fined $750,000 over the death of a worker who fell more than 40 metres when the mast of a piling rig collapsed at Southbank in 2011.
A mining services provider, which was convicted and fined a total of $600,000 following two incidents involving an overloaded barge working on the Patterson River. One of the incidents involved the barge capsizing, throwing three workers into the water and trapping one in the excavator in the water, seriously injuring him.
A residential builder, which was convicted and fined $300,000 over an incident in which a carpenter died after being crushed by a brick wall on a construction site at Brighton East in 2014.
A sign company, which was convicted and fined $250,000 over its involvement in the attachment of a timber hoarding to a wall which increased the risk of the wall collapsing at Carlton. The wall collapsed and killed three people in 2013.

A significant number of businesses in the manufacturing sector were also prosecuted. They included:
A conveyer belt manufacturer, which was fined $90,000 over an incident in 2014 in which an employee suffered serious arm injuries when he became caught in machinery beneath a moving conveyer belt.
A caravan manufacturer, which was convicted and fined $80,000 over an incident in 2014 in which an employee had two fingers severed while using an unguarded router.
A Chicken processer, which was convicted and fined $60,000 over an incident in 2014 where an employee suffered serious hand and arm injuries when she became caught in a giblet processor.

WorkSafe Chief Executive, Clare Amies, said the record amount of fines imposed by the courts in 2015-16 was a reminder to businesses and individuals of the significant penalties they faced if they did not comply with their health and safety obligations.

“WorkSafe is committed to improving workplace health and safety and, if it is found that employers have failed to provide a safe working environment for their workers, they can expect to face large fines and significant damage to their reputation,” Ms Amies said.

Don’t risk noncompliance. ISOsafe’s services will protect your business. We will prepare all safety documentation to demonstrate compliance. Call us now 1300 789 132 or email us at enquiries@isosafe.com.au, to learn more about our services for businesses and their owners.