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.
