$90K fine after grout gun left apprentice with 5% vision

A company involved in the installation of portal frames was sentenced in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on 6 July 2026 for breaching section 32 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld) — having failed to comply with its primary health and safety duty. The incident occurred in late 2023 when the company had accepted an ‘add-on’ job filing fire doors with grouting product, something that was not part of the company’s ordinary business.

Two apprentices — both young adults — were assigned to the task by the company. They were not instructed in how to safely complete the job; provided with adequate personal protective equipment; or adequately supervised, Queensland’s Office of the Work Health and Safety Prosecutor said. Also, the company did not risk assess the task before it had the apprentices perform the work and there was no safe work instruction on how to complete the task safely.

In the guns the apprentices were using, the grout product hardened — something the apprentices reported to the company. To loosen the grout, one apprentice shook the gun and pointed it towards his face. The gun discharged and he suffered a permanent injury to his eye requiring hospital admission. He was left with 5% vision in the eye and subsequently had the eye removed (voluntarily).

The magistrate noted that the defendant was a good corporate citizen and characterised the seriousness of the offending as moderate. A fine of $90,000 was imposed and no conviction was recorded.

Image credit: iStock.com/Nataliya Dmytrenko. Stock image used is for illustrative purposes only.