Companies fined for crushed apprentice

Fosters Wine Estates and electrical contractor Integrated Quality Electrical Systems were both recently fined by the SA Industrial Relations Court, over an incident in March 2005 which left a 21-year-old man with severe and disabling abdominal injuries.

Both pleaded guilty to one count each of breaching Section 19 of the Occupational Health Safety and Welfare Act 1986, in failing to ensure the safety of an employee at work.

The incident happened at Wolf Blass winery at Nuriootpa, where the first-year electrical apprentice was required to service electrical wiring along a service bridge. To gain access to the wiring, he stood in a personnel box which was raised by a forklift. The inexperienced forklift driver mistakenly accelerated during the process, crushing the young worker between the top edge of the box and the bottom edge of the bridge.

Both companies admitted a failure to develop safe systems of work for the task involved.

Integrated Quality Electrical Systems was fined $42,500 and Fosters Wine Estates was fined $32,000.

The injured man is unable to play sport any more and has had his personal life adversely affected.