$80K fine follows 18-year-old worker crushed by a suspended load
In Queensland, a steel supplier, processor and distributor has been fined $80,000 after a worker sustained a severe spinal injury being crushed by a suspended load.
The incident occurred on 18 September 2023. Three workers were picking and packing a steel order, which was done by either manually lifting and moving small steel products, while for large orders a fixed overhead 2 x 5 tonne dual hoist crane was used to pick and move large pieces of steel to the warehouse floor for packing. The dual hoist could operate.
A 25-year-old worker (Worker A) operated the crane to move a loose pack of 19 x hollow section steel beams, each 8 metres in length, the pack weighing approximately 1.4 tonnes. A second work, 18 years old (Worker B), stood next to the crane operator. While the load was suspended about a metre above the racks, a third worker, also aged 18 (Worker C) walked under the load.
The other two workers told Worker C to get out of the way of the load. The west side of the load suddenly slipped out of the sling and struck Worker C on the back, crushing him face down on the warehouse floor. This rendered him unconscious for 15 seconds, the worker suffering hearing loss and a severe spinal injury resulting in paraplegia. Worker B suffered a haematoma, having been also struck by a steel beam on the leg.
Worker A reasoned he was distracted and may have pressed buttons on the crane remote controller to cycle out of synchronicity and into single hoist operation. All three workers were inexperienced. Worker A was in his fifth week of work while Workers B and C were only in their second week of work. Post incident, the defendant replaced the remote control to remove the possibility of single hoist activation. The defendant also requires and pays for all crane operators to be certified.
The defendant breached their duty by failing to ensure: exclusion zones for the loading, movement, and unloading of steel were established and enforced; workers were provided with adequate induction on the Safe Operating Procedures; adequate training and instruction was provided to workers to safely operate the crane and safely load, sling, and unload steel; adequate supervision of the tasks during the work activity; workers complied with Safe Operating Procedures; and a procedure to document and audit the training of workers on the work, the risk and controls.
The steel supplier, processor and distributor was sentenced in the Mackay Magistrates Court for breaching section 32 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld) on 22 January 2026.
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