Business News | G and G Mining Fabrication will pay more than $500,000 over a workplace incident at its workshop that caused a worker to lose his eye and suffer serious head injuries.

The Hazelmere-based company pleaded guilty to failing to provide and maintain a safe work environment that caused serious harm to a worker over an incident in August 2021.

Midland Magistrates Court fined G and G Mining $500,000 and ordered the company to pay more than $6,500 in costs.

In a written statement, WorkSafe said the incident involved a steel plate weighing more than 500 kilogrammes, known as a “lug plate,” falling on the boilermaker’s head while he was fabricating a hook-up assembly for an excavator bucket.

As a result, the boilermaker incurred several significant injuries, including the loss of an eye and multiple skull-based fractures.

According to WorkSafe, the injured boilermaker considered the lug plate secured by turnbuckles which were welded on to provide additional restraint.

WorkSafe said G and G Mining Fabrication did have a relevant safe work procedure both documented and in place, however it was not utilised or provided to workers.

WorkSafe Victoria | A metal fabrication company has been fined $30,000 after a 17-year-old apprentice suffered horrific burns when his clothes caught fire while welding.

CND Contractors Pty Ltd was sentenced in the Shepparton Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to one charge of failing to provide and maintain a safe system of work, and one charge of failing to provide workers with necessary supervision.

The company was fined without conviction and ordered to pay costs of $4,365.

In October 2023, the first-year apprentice was fabricating a metal footing cage when sparks from the welding process ignited his clothing.

After realising he was on fire, the apprentice ran outside and attempted to extinguish the flames by rolling on the ground but was unsuccessful. Still alight, he ran back inside and shouted for help before co-workers used a hose to put out the flames.

The teenager was airlifted to Melbourne and spent a month in hospital, undergoing multiple surgeries including skin grafts to his stomach, chest, upper arms, neck, back, buttocks, and hips. He continues to suffer both emotionally and physically from widespread scarring, including mobility issues and tightness in his chest.

At the time of the incident, the apprentice was wearing a welding helmet, a long sleeve shirt and a branded hoodie supplied by CND. He had supplied the rest of his clothing himself, including leather gauntlets which protected his hands and forearms from the fire.

A WorkSafe investigation found that the hoodie, which was a blend of cotton and polyester, did not offer sufficient protection for welding. It was further revealed that CND did not implement and enforce a clothing policy or requirements for sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE), and did not offer the apprentice a leather apron, leather clothing or a full boiler suit.

CND admitted it was reasonably practicable to have implemented a system of work that enforced appropriate PPE, and to have provided supervision to manage the risks associated with welding and ensure workers used the PPE supplied.

The court heard that a month before the incident, the same apprentice’s hoodie had been burned during another welding task, damaging the front pocket.

Government of Western Australia | Big Bell Gold Operations Pty Ltd has been fined $945,000 and ordered to pay $20,000 in costs after a truck fatally struck a worker at its Big Bell underground gold mine.

A wholly owned subsidiary of Westgold Resources Limited, Big Bell Gold Operations pleaded guilty in the Perth Magistrates Court to an offence under the Mines Safety and Inspection Act 1994 (WA) of failing to provide and maintain a working environment in which an employee of a contractor was not exposed to hazards. This offence does not indicate that the breach caused the fatal incident. However, it highlights a failure in terms of safe systems of work.

In December 2020, a Big Bell Gold Operations-engaged contractor, Minterra Pty Ltd, was performing mining operations at the Big Bell underground gold mine. During a night shift at the site 24km north-west of Cue, a Minterra employee-operated truck struck a Minterra employee, who died from their injuries.

WorkSafe ACT | Dream Haus Pty Ltd. has been convicted of two Category 2 offences by the ACT Industrial Court Magistrate, resulting in a $400,000 penalty.

An ex-parte hearing concerning Dream Haus has resulted in two guilty verdicts for Category 2 offences under the Work Health and Safety Act.

The charges relate to a serious incident on 2 November 2022, during which Dream Haus engaged in renovation works at a property in Chapman, ACT, disrupting materials containing asbestos. The court found the company failed to comply with its health and safety duties, placing workers and the public at risk.

During sentencing, Magistrate Lawton stated that “there are aggravating features with both… lack of communication was a main factor in both charges… not following their own safe work method statement (SWMS).”

He further noted that “the use of asbestos materials was in construction throughout the ACT for many years, and the costs of preliminary testing is low.”

WorkSafe Victoria | A telecommunications infrastructure company and one of its directors have been convicted and fined a total of $545,000 after the asphyxiation of a worker who was attempting to repair a gas leak at Bentleigh East.

National Infrastructure Solutions Pty Ltd was sentenced ex-parte at Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court after being found guilty of two offences under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

The company was convicted and fined $250,000 for reckless conduct endangering persons at a workplace and $250,000 for failing to maintain a safe system of work, while also being ordered to pay $4,210 in costs.

Co-director Robert Felice, 56, was sentenced at Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to a single charge of reckless conduct endangering persons at a workplace.

Felice was convicted and fined $45,000 and ordered to pay costs of $4,284.

In January 2023, two National Infrastructure Services workers struck an underground gas pipe while undertaking excavation works on a nature strip in Bentleigh East.

The court heard that instead of notifying the gas company and emergency services, Felice repeatedly directed the workers to continue digging and repair the pipe, aiming to avoid the need for an incident report.

One of the workers entered the excavation several times attempting to clamp the pipe, each time exiting with shortness of breath. The worker entered the excavation a final time, head first, but lost consciousness due to the inhalation of gas in the confined space.

After being dragged from the excavation by his colleague, the worker was transported to hospital for treatment of respiratory arrest, broken blood vessels in one eye, and chest pains due to inhaling gas and resuscitation efforts.

He was further diagnosed with acute stress disorder from the incident.

The court heard both National Infrastructure Solutions and Felice had engaged in reckless conduct that placed another person in danger of serious injury or death from asphyxiation caused by the gas leak.

It was reasonably practicable for the company to have maintained a safe system of work which ensured that, after the gas pipe was struck, all work activities were ceased, the owner of the gas pipe was contacted immediately to stop the leak and conduct repairs, the area was barricaded to keep vehicles and members of the public away, and the workers were evacuated to a safe distance.

Government of Western Australia | A concrete manufacturing company has been fined $580,000 and ordered to pay $6,180 in costs after a worker was seriously injured at its Neerabup batching plant.

Ransberg Pty Ltd (WA Premix) pleaded guilty to failing to provide and maintain a safe workplace after a waste-pit gate fell on a worker, causing multiple open fractures and an amputation.

Investigators found no mechanism to prevent the gate from falling when lifting chains were detached, despite knowledge of a safer “C channel” support method used at other plants.

Government of Western Australia | A hay processing company in regional WA has been fined $595,000 and ordered to pay $5,510 costs over a serious worker injury.

HA Hold Co Pty Ltd pleaded guilty after a leading hand was injured in January 2023 when he climbed onto an unguarded conveyor belt at a Carani hay press, causing a degloving leg injury.

In 2022, a safety consultant warned of the unguarded area, but no guarding was installed until after the incident. The company lacked a documented procedure for clearing blockages, and installed a mesh guard only afterwards.

WorkSafe Victoria | A major builder will spend over $1 million to improve safety after an unloading incident caused life-threatening injuries.

In August 2022, at Rosebud Plaza, a 21-year-old assisting his father fell 1.6 m when a forklift struck an unsecured switchboard. The enforceable undertaking by Hutchinson Builders includes gate controls, safety zones, signage, training materials, a safety culture programme, network participation, and a $100,000 mental-health donation.

WorkSafe Victoria | An industrial plastics manufacturer was fined after a worker suffered life-threatening crush injuries.

In April 2022 at Class Plastics (Aust) Pty Ltd’s Truganina factory, a supervisor’s head was caught in a blow-moulding machine due to a disconnected interlock and taped sensors. The company was initially fined $40,000 without conviction; on appeal, the Melbourne County Court convicted and imposed a $75,000 fine plus $4,000 costs.

WorkSafe found regular interlock inspections and sensor checks were practicable to prevent such harm.

WorkSafe Victoria | A stonemasonry company was the first convicted under Victoria’s workplace manslaughter laws and fined $3 million over a worker’s death.

In October 2021, subcontractor Michael Tsahrelias died when a forklift driven by director Laith Hanna tipped over and crushed him at Universal Stone and Marble’s Somerton warehouse. The company and its director were originally fined $1.3 million and given a community corrections order, but on appeal, the company’s fine was increased to $3 million; an appeal against Hanna’s sentence was dismissed.

WorkSafe found the company failed to require forklifts to be driven with loads low to the ground, in reverse on slopes, or to keep workers clear of hazards, representing a negligent breach of duty that posed a high risk of death.

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