Four workplace deaths in Victoria, in just over 3 months

A 69 year old man who suffered critical head injuries earlier last month after falling four metres at a construction site at Merricks North on the Mornington Peninsula has died in hospital from his injuries.

Other reported workplace deaths, in Victoria, this year:
•    On 11 January, a 61-year-old woman driving a tractor towing fruit bins across a main road near Mildura was struck and killed by a truck.
•    On 18 February, a 52-year-old worker was crushed by a load of steel which fell from a forklift at a scrap metal yard at Foster in South Gippsland.
•    On 17 February, a 38-year-old man also died when his quad bike overturned on a property at Reedy Flat, near Ensay, in east Gippsland. 

It is a legal requirement for all businesses to ensure they have appropriate systems in place to ensure risks to employees are reduced or eliminated a far as reasonably possible. Protect your business and staff, contact ISOsafe today on 1300 789 132

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.

Toll Transport handed down $1 Million in fines after death of stevedore

Earlier this month, Toll Transport Pty Ltd was convicted and fined $1 million over the death of an employee who was crushed to death while helping load the Tasmanian Achiever at Webb Dock in 2014. The shipping operator pleaded guilty in the Melbourne County Court to one charge under section 21 of the 2004 OHS Act in that it failed to maintain a safe system of work.

The court heard that the company operated a shipping service between Webb Dock in Port Melbourne and Burnie in Tasmania using two ships, the Tasmanian Achiever and the Victorian Alliance.

When loading and unloading ships Toll used a roll on, roll off procedure. This process involves shipping containers being placed onto low flat trailers called MAFIs which are capable of carrying up to 4 x 20 foot shipping containers. When fully loaded, a MAFI can weigh up to 90 tonnes. 

In this instance, a 42-year-old stevedore was working on the deck of the Tasmanian Achiever placing rubber mats for the MAFIs to rest on during transit. He was wearing a high visibility vest and using earplugs. As he worked, a MAFI was pushed up the ramp and positioned by a prime mover operated by a driver. However, the driver did not see the stevedore and ran over him, crushing him under the wheels.

The court heard that Toll had a number of procedures in place to ensure the safety of employees during the moving of MAFIs on to the ships. However, WorkSafe’s investigation found that these were inadequate.

In particular a key component of Tolls safety procedures identified that a fellow stevedore be positioned on the deck to assist with moving mats, directing the prime movers and watching for pedestrians. Evidently, there was no stevedore in said position at the time of the incident.

The injured worker had his left leg amputated by the MAFI and suffered other severe injuries. Colleagues used a forklift to lift the MAFI off him but he died at the scene. 

The $1 million fine is the largest ever handed down by a court in Victoria for a single offence under occupational health and safety laws. 

Don’t risk non-compliance. Contact ISOsafe today to avoid penalties and heavy court costs, call us on: 1300 789 132 or email us at: enquiries@isosafe.com.au.

Two workplace deaths in just over 24 hours

Earlier this week two workplace deaths resulting from falls were reported. The first incident took place on Tuesday 25 October, 2016 where a man plunged to his death at a construction site in Sydney's northwest. Police officers who first arrived at the scene administered CPR until paramedics arrived, but the man died at the scene. A crime scene has been established and police have begun working with SafeWork NSW to investigate. 

The next day another workplace related death was reported where a man fell to his death at a construction site. The sub-contractor was working at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre Expansion project in South Wharf when he fell from a piece of equipment about 3.30pm. Union officials said the man was a boilermaker aged in his 50s, who was operating a boom lift on the work site. A witness said he heard screaming and yelling at the building site. "I looked up and there was a man slumped on the lift. Everyone was yelling and screaming and stuff and trying to wake him up," the man told Channel 10. The man was a member of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and came from a family heavily involved in the state's construction industry, officials said. The South Wharf site is operated by national construction firm Probuild. Probuild Group managing director Simon Gray said his thoughts were with the man's family. "It is with great sadness that we confirm a fatality involving an employee of one of our sub-contractors occurred this afternoon at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre Expansion project. "Our sincerest thoughts and condolences are with all those impacted - family, friends and workmates. "We are awaiting further details on the incident and are cooperating fully with Victoria Police and WorkSafe Victoria. Support and counselling is being offered to all affected construction workers and staff." The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union and the AMWU sent safety officials to the work site on Wednesday afternoon. WorkSafe is investigating and police will prepare a report for the coroner.

No doubt, the impact of these incidents will extend beyond the family and friends of these workers… Business owners should protect their workers, including subbies. Don’t risk non-compliance, contact ISOsafe today on 1300 789 132 to learn more about our services for Australian businesses

Sydney car auction company fined more than $250,000 after death of forklift operator

A Sydney car auction company has been fined more than a quarter of a million dollars after a forklift operator was killed while unloading a truck at Milperra, NSW in 2013.
A 36 year old forklift operator and a 19 year old labourer were moving a cabinet from a truck onto a forklift at the company’s motor vehicle storage and auction site, when they both lost control of the load. The incident resulted in the death of the forklift operator and the labourer was left with fractured ribs and an injured knee.
SafeWork NSW charged the company with a breach of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 for failing to ensure the health and safety of workers.
The company were found guilty by the District Court in June this year and fined $255,000.
Executive Director of SafeWork NSW, Peter Dunphy said the incident highlighted the risks of working with forklifts and need to provide effective supervision and support to young workers.
“Forklifts continue to be a major factor in workplace deaths and injuries,” Mr Dunphy said.
“Between July 2012 and July 2014, 1,360 workers were injured in forklift incidents, including five fatalities.
“The social and economic impact is also significant, including a cost of $15.8 million to the NSW workers compensation scheme.
“Young workers make up approximately 12 per cent of all employment injuries and occupational diseases across the State, and are more vulnerable to workplace safety risks because of their inexperience or reluctance to speak up about safety concerns.
“Our investigation found that a lack of safety systems, instruction and supervision were major contributors to this incident.
“The company failed to train and instruct the workers how to safely remove the cabinet from the truck and did not tell them which forklift could safely carry the cabinet."
“This resulted in the workers selecting the wrong sized forklift with tragic results.”
“This incident highlights the need for employers to have appropriate systems in place to ensure that all workers, particularly young workers, receive sufficient training and support to work safely.”
Failure to manage health and safety can result in serious incidents. So, as well as putting staff wellbeing at risk, businesses can be left exposed to substantial financial penalties, criminal and civil prosecution and loss of reputation.
Don’t risk noncompliance. ISOsafe’s services will protect your business. We will prepare safe systems of work, safety instructions and all other documentation you require. 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.