NSW – Logging death leads to large fine for company and director
A sawmill company and its director have been fined $220,000 and $22,000 respectively, after a worker was crushed by a logging machine. The machine rolled over the worker after he pressed the ignition button, from outside the cabin. There was no OHS management system, maintenance procedures or operator’s manual. More.
NSW - $360,000 fines over road worker’s death
Three organisations and a manager have been fined a total of $360,000 following the death of a road worker. The worker - a sub-contractor’s employee - was hit and killed by a prime mover on the Epping Road project. Although safe work method statements were in place, there was no spotter for the vehicle and no-one to coordinate vehicle movement. Communication and supervision were also deemed inadequate. More.
NSW – Two companies fined $180K over roof fall
A construction company and plumbing company have been fined $180,000 after a plumber fell 6m from a supermarket roof. The worker was not wearing a harness and no guardrails were installed. Scaffolding was deemed to be inadequate, as was training and supervision. The worker suffered numerous fractures, including of his femur. More.
NSW – Crushing death leads to $160K fine; company now in liquidation
A masonry company has been fined $160,000 after a worker was killed when a two tonne concrete block fell onto him from a forklift. OHS procedures and staff training were deemed inadequate. The company went into voluntary liquidation after WorkCover completed its investigation. More.
NSW - $90,000 fine for non-fatal electric shock
A coal processing company has been convicted and fined $90,000, plus costs, after an electrician suffered a mild electric shock from a 3.3kV high voltage electrical circuit. No interlock or permit system was in place. View court judgement.
NSW - High pressure hose causes death; employer fined $130K
A company has been fined $130,000 over the death of a worker who was using a high pressure hose, with steel lance attached. Another worker was controlling flow to the hose and it struck the killed worker in the chest. More.
NSW – Removal of guarding leads to amputations
Two company directors have been fined $10,500, plus costs, after a worker’s fingers were partially amputated. Guarding had been removed and the equipment modified so that the safety switch was permanently activated. More.
NT - $95,000 fine for unroadworthy vehicles
A government authority has been fined $95,000 for having six unroadworthy vehicles. Staff training in pre-use inspection and maintenance was also inadequate. More.
QLD - Employer enters undertaking to escape conviction
A Queensland employer has entered into a $339,500 enforceable undertaking after one of its workers injured his wrist while using a power tool. He was cutting PVC pipe with an angle grinder that had a saw blade fitted. As part of the undertaking, the employer will:
- improve training for supervisors and managers
- create new safety-related roles
- improve staff induction
- develop and distribute a safety alert on the use of saw blades in angle grinders
- encourage saw blade manufacturers to improve safety warnings on packaging
- be audited against AS/NZS 4801:2001
- implement any recommendations from the audit. More.
QLD – Large fine for employer over worker’s death
One of Queensland’s largest fines has been handed down to a company, after a worker was crushed to death by a 10 tonne counterweight. The construction company has been fined $200,000, plus more than $15,000 in costs. More.
QLD - $100K fine for labour hire company
The death of a labour hire worker has led to a $100,000 fine for his employer. The worker was crushed to death while doing work he was not hired to do and for which he was untrained. The employer had not visited the site to do a risk assessment for more than a year. More.
QLD – Energy company fined over linesman injury
An energy company has been fined $60,000 after a worker was hit by a timber cable drum. The drum had been stored in the open, which was not in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions, causing the flange to deteriorate. The lifting method was also deemed inadequate. More.
QLD – Worker injured by road roller; employer fined
A construction company has been fined $43,000, plus costs, after a road roller operator suffered serious injuries when he was thrown from the roller. The handbrake wasn’t working. More.
SA – Hydrofluoric acid burns two workers; employer fined
A company that directed two apprentice mechanics to clean an ore-carrying truck using hand brushes and hydrofluoric acid has been convicted and fined $40,000. The workers were given inadequate PPE and suffered skin burns. More.
SA – Inadequate procedures, guarding and training lead to fine
A court has convicted and fined a wine barrel manufacturer over an incident where a worker’s hand was severely injured. His hand contacted spinning blades of a heavy cutter wheel, causing fractures and lacerations. There was no interlock guard in place and procedures and training were deemed inadequate. More.
SA – Company fined over alcohol-affected diver; second company fined over fractures
Allowing an alcohol-affected diver to dive has led to a conviction and $26,250 fine for an aquaculture company. The diver blacked out while under water and had to be resuscitated. He has since left his job due to post-traumatic stress disorder. Although policies and procedures related to alcohol were in place, they were not enforced.
In another fishing-related incident, a company has been convicted and fined $22,500 over a deckhand’s fractured hip. The worker’s foot became caught in a net as it was drawn onto the boat. He later needed a hip replacement. Procedures, stop devices, training and supervision were deemed to be inadequate. More.
SA - Builder fined over jetty fall
Inadequate fall protection and work systems have led to a $30,000 fine for a construction company, after a worker fell 5 m from a jetty onto rocks. Workers were required to climb over or under outriggers that were stabilising a truck-mounted crane on the jetty. More.
SA – Inadequate guarding leads to fingertip amputation and fine
A stationer has been convicted and fined $22,500 after a worker’s fingertip was amputated by a moving chain. Guarding was in place, but it allowed access to some areas. More.
SA – More finger amputations from lack of guarding
Another company has been convicted and fined $24,000 after a worker’s fingertips were cut off by a guillotine. Guarding was again inadequate, as were procedures and training. More.
VIC - $1.3M damages against employer over back injury
A court has deemed that a worker is entitled to more than $1.3 million in damages after he injured his back during manual handling work, requiring a spinal fusion. The worker experiences severe pain and has not been able to work since 2003. More.
VIC – Pallet racking falls on customer; $10K fine for store
Allowing a customer to ‘help themselves’ to goods on pallet racking has led to a $10,000 fine and 12 month good behaviour bond for a Wodonga company. The pallet racking wasn’t secured to the wall and fell on top of the customer, causing fractured ribs and other injuries. More.
WA - $120,000 fines over leg amputation
A host employer and a labour hire company have been fined $80,000 and $40,000 respectively, after a labour hire worker’s leg was amputated. Although not licensed, the worker was required to operate forklifts. He was driving the forklift with the mast elevated and hit a roller door, causing the forklift to roll over and fall on him. More.
NZ – DoL seeks extension on Pike River investigation
The Department of Labour has applied for a time extension to decide whether to prosecute over the Pike River mine explosions. More.
NZ – Work by unqualified mechanic leads to death of road user
Allowing an employee with no formal mechanic qualifications to work on a truck’s wheels has led to the death of a bus passenger. The worker removed the left rear wheels of a truck but failed to tighten the wheel nuts properly. Two wheels came off while the truck was on a motorway and smashed through a bus’s windscreen, killing a passenger. The worker’s employer has incurred costs of more than $71,000. More.
NZ – $60K for leg amputation
A company has incurred a fine and reparations of $30,000 after a logger’s leg was partially amputated. A log struck the worker’s leg, causing severe injuries. The Department of Labour deemed that OSH systems were inadequate and workers were exposed to high levels of risk. More.
NZ – Worker flung from bobcat while counterbalancing it; $55K costs to employer
An employee who was standing on the back of a bobcat to counterbalance it was flung 2.5 m into the air when it was lifting more than two times its legal rating. The employer has been fined $40,000, plus $15,000 in reparations. More.
NZ – Failed bungy jump leads to $41K in costs for operator
A bungy jump operator has been ordered to pay $41,000 in fines and reparations, in addition to $18,000 already paid, after a tourist was seriously injured. The bungy jumper slipped out of the ankle straps during a jump and fell into a riverbed below. It was deemed that the company should have had a backup system in place, in addition to the ankle straps. More.
NZ – Removed guarding leads to finger amputation and $60K fine
A manufacturer has been fined $60,000, and more than $11,000 in reparations, after an employee’s fingers were crushed in an unguarded machine. Hazard identification and training were deemed inadequate. More.
NZ – $42K costs over another unguarded machine
A food manufacturer has also been fined and ordered to pay reparations over an unguarded machine. Fingers were yet again the victim. More.
NZ – Finger amputation leads to fine and reparations
In another incident that led to an amputation, a manufacturer has been fined $26,500 and ordered to pay reparations of $5,000. A press was guarded but it wasn’t maintained and wasn’t working properly, leading to a worker’s partial finger amputation. More.
NZ – Inadequate guarding claims more fingers
In yet another amputation incident, a timber processing company has been ordered to pay $10,000 in reparations after a worker’s fingertips were amputated by a saw. Guarding was again inadequate. The company is now in liquidation. More.
