Worker seriously injured by falling metal debris leads to $212,500 fine
In the District Court of NSW, a company has been convicted and fined $212,500 — as the result of a prosecution by SafeWork NSW. It followed an incident that occurred on 13 February 2022, when a worker was seriously injured after being struck by metal debris while working on a bucket elevator conveyer.
The company plead guilty to an offence pursuant to section 32 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 for failing to comply with its health and safety duty to workers under section 19(1) of the Act. The company has the right to appeal against its sentence.
“Risk control measures for working with moving plant and fixed machinery are well known. Being injured when working with fixed machinery is a preventable hazard we see across our state and in all industries,” SafeWork NSW Commissioner Janet Schorer said.
“Preventing injuries caused by mobile plant, vehicles or fixed machinery is an area for action in SafeWork NSW’s regulatory priorities,” Schorer added. “Having an awareness and assessment of the risks, along with implementation of safe systems of work, is key to reducing the number of incidents related to moving plant and fixed machinery.”
You can read the full judgment here, on the NSW Caselaw website.
SafeWork NSW resources to help manage the risks of working with plant, machinery and equipment can be found here.
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