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.

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.