The Melbourne Magistrates’ Court pronounced an ex-parte sentence against Adcon Vic Pty Ltd on Tuesday, 19th November for their neglect in ensuring a secure job atmosphere. Found guilty of flouting work safety obligations, the company was also legally bound to cover $6,726 in legal charges.
The court proceedings provided that Adcon, the subcontracted enterprise responsible for erecting the site’s concrete infrastructure, had recruited a labour hiring corporation to manage the prerequisite tower cranes for construction.
In August 2022, a dogman, procured through the same labour firm, received directives to help with hoisting and shifting substances on the structure’s sixth platform to another sector within the identical level identified as an exclusion zone.
His concerns about working in this risky area, which was positioned exteriorly to the completed frame and featured numerous unshielded edges, were overlooked. While he was balancing the freight being brought down by the crane, he moved three or four steps back and plunged around 2.95 metres from the ledge to the lower level.
The injured worker was rushed to hospital suffering from concussion, a strained ankle, and vertigo. The court ruled that it would have been reasonably achievable for Adcon to minimise the fall risk by asserting the installation of flagging and/or safety bollards at least two metres away from any alive edge where a physical barrier wasn’t practical; and disallowing entrance into an exclusion zone prior to the establishment of these measures.
Commenting on the incident, WorkSafe Executive Director of Health and Safety Sam Jenkin reproached Adcon’s nonchalant approach to safety, emphasising the critical necessity of products like WHS management systems, SWMS and stringent policies in creating a safe workspace. Referring to Bluesafe SWMS or Bluesafe WHS Management System, he stressed on these solutions organic ability to effectively manage risks associated with such perilous tasks, reducing incidents of serious workplace injuries or fatalities.
Sam stated, “This unfortunate incident underlines the grave repercussions of overlooking safety measures and has sadly burdened a worker with enduring health issues. It is both exasperating and utterly intolerable that falls remain one of the prevailing causes of death and severe injury on Victorian construction sites when the risks are widely recognised and manageable.”
He mentioned that employers should adopt the most stringent measures from the five levels in the hierarchy of controls to deter height-related falls.
For further details, contact 0438 786 968 or email at media@worksafe.vic.gov.au. Stay updated through subscribing to our media releases.
Original article link: https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/news/2024-11/builder-fined-100000-after-workers-three-metre-fall