Monadelphous Engineering Associates Pty Ltd (Kalgoorlie) was fined $685,000 plus costs after a 648 kg metal frame fell from a telehandler and crushed a spotter in March 2020. The load lacked secure lifting points and training. WorkSafe’s Sally North warned about exclusion zones around mobile plant.
A southern Adelaide electrical company has been fined $300,000 after a worker died when he became trapped in a non-standard pit on 1 June 2022.
JD Finlay Electrical was charged under section 32 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2012 after failing to identify the pit hazard, provide training, or perform a risk assessment. The worker suffered positional asphyxiation when he leaned into the pit to pull conduit cables and could not escape.
A supervisor was not on site, and no risk assessment or method statement was prepared. The pit cover was not removed to assess conditions beneath.
A Healesville caravan park has been convicted and fined $475,000 after a camper was crushed by a falling tree branch.
Yarra Valley Park Lane Holiday Park Pty Ltd, operator of BIG4 Yarra Valley Holiday Park, was sentenced in Melbourne County Court after a jury found it failed to ensure workplace safety.
In March 2021, a camper inside his tent was fatally injured when a large branch fell on him. Investigators discovered the park had not engaged an arborist since 2015, lacked a tree inspection system and policy, and failed to act on risks.
An inspection of 277 trees identified 137 requiring mitigation within a year. The jury concluded it was practicable to conduct annual arborist assessments and follow their recommendations.
A Queensland demolition company and its director have been fined more than $500,000 for illegally dumping toxic waste, including asbestos, near residential areas.
DESI investigated Asbestos Demolition Specialists in 2020 after finding large amounts of asbestos waste at a property south of Brisbane, near water sources and homes. Despite multiple orders to stop, the company continued disposing and receiving waste.
The company pleaded guilty to nine offences under the Environmental Protection Act, including contravening protection orders and causing material harm. It was fined $400,000 plus a $75,000 licence fee. Director Anthony Palmer pleaded guilty to the company’s failures, fined $100,000 and given a nine-month suspended sentence. Both were ordered to pay legal costs and restore impacted land.