Source : Perth Now news
A WA engineering firm has been fined close to $700,000 over the death of a worker who was crushed under a 650-kilogram frame in the state’s Goldfields.
Haydyn Charles Grubb, 26, was acting as a spotter for another colleague who was using a telehandler — which is similar to a forklift — to move the heavy metal structure at a services facility in Kalgoorlie in March 2020.
During that process, the unsecured load slipped from the equipment’s forks and fell onto Grubb, causing fatal injuries.
Monadelphous Engineering Associates pleaded guilty to causing the worker’s death through a failure to provide and maintain a safe work environment.
The company appeared in Kalgoorlie Magistrates Court on Wednesday where it was fined $685,000.
“The court heard that neither of the workers involved in this incident had completed any specific training with respect to exclusion zones,” WorkSafe Commissioner Sally North said.
“Following this incident, Monadelphous issued a safety alert to all its sites instructing that no person was to enter within three metres of any load during movement using a telehandler, but unfortunately this was too late for the young man who lost his life in this incident.”
North said there is ample mobile plant safety information available from WorkSafe and encouraged employers to ensure their procedures are in line with the guidance.
“This case should serve as a reminder to workplaces using mobile plant that risk assessments need to be undertaken for each task,” she said.
On top of the fine, Monadelphous was also ordered to pay costs of $21,413.
