Court-ordered men's shed opens in worker's memory

As part of a court-imposed penalty, a men’s shed has opened in Pennington, South Australia, dedicated to the memory of a worker who died when he fell 6.5 metres onto a concrete floor. According to SafeWork SA, its construction was the first time a court has imposed this type of penalty following a breach of the work health and safety laws.

Jeffrey Wright, 51, was replacing roofing sheets at the offices of his employer, a garages and sheds manufacturer, at the time of the fall in December 2019. Wright did not have any formal training or a licence for working from heights at the time of his death. Additionally, he was not provided with any safety equipment.

For breaches of the WHS laws, SafeWork SA investigated and prosecuted the company, which pleaded guilty in the South Australian Employment Tribunal to all three counts of breaching its duties under section 32 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2012 (SA). According to the judgement delivered in 2022, a $100,000 fine was imposed.

The company was also ordered by the court to install a shed for the community at Sinclair Square, Pennington, and a plaque dedicated to Wright; Wright’s sister, Moira Wright, had advocated for the shed to be built as a way of honouring his life. Located near where the workplace incident occurred, the shed has been built at Aboriginal-controlled community organisation Kura Yerlo Inc and offers a fully-equipped workshop for between 40 and 60 local participants.

“For me, this moment has been years in the making. It is the fulfilment of a quiet promise I made to my brother that his tragic death would not be in vain and that something genuinely good would come from our personal heartbreak,” Moira Wright said. “We are here to transform a workplace tragedy into a community triumph, creating a living, purpose-driven legacy for Jeffrey.”

Image source: SafeWork SA