May sentencing sees WorkSafe ACT surpass $1m in fines

On 12 May, a $70,000 penalty and conviction of a Category 3 offence by the ACT Industrial Court Magistrate has seen WorkSafe ACT surpass a milestone of $1m in fines since August 2024. Pacific National Constructions Pty Ltd (trading as ‘Nowra Cranes’) had pleaded guilty, with the offence relating to a 14 July 2022 Jervis Bay incident. Following an investigation by WorkSafe ACT, the matter was prosecuted by the Office of the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (Cth) (CDPP).

This sentence was one of 10 individual WHS prosecutions related to seven workplace incidents presented before the ACT Magistrates Court on 12 May, with WHS Commissioner Jacqueline Agius saying: “Our first thoughts are with the workers and families affected by this incident. It’s frustrating to see yet another workplace breach work health and safety laws, despite having procedures in place. This incident is a stark reminder of the consequences of ignoring safety rules.”

The incident serves as a timely reminder, Agius said, that there are serious consequences when duty holders fail to meet their obligations. In a statement, it was said that Agius hopes the outcome and substantial fines handed out by the court in the last nine months alone will send a clear message to all businesses that shortcuts with WHS always come at a cost.

Image credit: iStock.com/Anton Vakhrushev. Stock image used is for illustrative purposes only.