Bozweld Fabrications has been fined $25K after its safety failings allowed an employee to fall from height.
Dandenong Magistrates' Court also imposed a legal costs order of $3500.
Facts
The employee was crouching down welding hand railings onto a platform at a height of more than three metres when he lost his balance on 19 August 2016. He did not have adequate fall protection, a travel restraining system or a fall-arrest harness.
The company had not prepared a safe work method statement before work began.
The worker suffered a head injury, broken bones, a collapsed lung and a spinal fracture because of the fall.
The company, which supplies stairs and hand railings, pleaded guilty and was convicted and sentenced by Magistrate O’Donnell earlier this month, according to the unreported judgment.
Safety failures
WorkSafe Victoria noted risk factors and failures including the fact there was an elevated work platform; there was a risk of serious injury or death to employees who could fall from a height of more than three metres; a failure to conduct a risk/hazard assessment; a failure to conduct a risk/hazard identification; failure to provide a safe system of work; a failure to prepare a safe work method statement and failure to provide and maintain a passive fall protection device.
Source: Workplace OHS
