Carpentry firm fined after apprentice falls

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View the original article on the  WorkSafe Victoria website.

Carpentry firm fined for apprentice falling from height.

An apprentice carpenter fell over three metres from the first floor of a residential building onto concrete while undertaking wood framing work. The company had employed him for approximately nine months.

The accident happened in December 2018, when the worker was unrolling building material while walking backwards and fell through an uncovered void where a stairwell was to be installed. This resulted in severe injuries to the worker's spine and pelvis, requiring him to be hospitalised and have surgery.

SafeWork SA investigated the incident and identified that the risk of falls had not been identified, and fall protection had not been installed before the task. The company was convicted and fined $90,000 for failing to have safe work systems in place, therefore exposing the worker to a risk of serious injury or death.

View the original article on SafeWork SA's website.