Hot air ballooning company fined over tourists death

Workplace safety on forestry work sites remains essential. 

According to WorkSafe New Zealand, a fatality at a forestry logging site could have been avoided if industry guidelines were followed.

In February 2019, a worker died at the scene after being struck by a log being hauled out of the valley at West Ho forest in Tologa Bay on a skyline cable.

Investigations found that two companies with workers at the site breaking out and harvesting were not ensuring that recommended safe retreat distances were being adhered to. The victim should have been at least 45 metres away from the skyline cable but was only 18-20 metres away, far short of the hot work permit standards required for high-risk tasks.

Both businesses appeared in the Gisborne District Court on 24 March 2021 following the incident and were sentenced on 16 July 2021. Fines of $468,000 and $288,000 were handed down. The companies have been ordered to share in reparations to the families for a total of $256,408.

WorkSafe's Area Manager Danielle Henry said this highlights the importance of clear communication and the need to follow industry practice, especially in a high risk industry where safety cannot be an afterthought.

Similar enforcement action has followed other preventable incidents, including cases where a New Zealand company faced a $500,000 fine over a wholly avoidable workplace death and where an operator was fined over the death of an NT mine worker.

The full article can be viewed on WorkSafe New Zealand's website.

Hot air ballooning company fined over tourists death in Alice Springs

An outback ballooning company has been convicted and fined over the death of a NSW tourist on a flight in 2013, in a case that underscores why safety protocols must be strictly enforced on every job site, not just in construction or manufacturing settings.

What Happened During the Fatal Flight

The 35 year old victim was on holiday with her husband when, as she was boarding the basket, the scarf she wore became entangled in the fan's blades and driveshaft, causing fatal injuries.

Despite receiving two safety briefings highlighting the hazard of the inflation fan and instructions to stay clear, passengers were required to walk past the fan as they boarded the balloon's basket from the side where it was located. This detail alone raises serious questions about how well safety instructions translate into safe physical layouts on site.

Regulator Response and Penalties

The Northern Territory's Work Health and Safety Regulator, Mr Bill Esteves, said entanglement in machinery can cause fatal injuries and businesses must ensure they are not complacent about safety, nor normalise accepting risks that put lives on the line.

The Alice Springs Local Court imposed fines of $120,000, with an additional Victims Levy of $1000. Outback Ballooning was convicted of breaching section 32 of the Act, and the conviction was recorded.

This case reflects a broader pattern in high-risk tourism and outdoor operations, where businesses handling machinery near the public must maintain rigorous safety systems. Just as a Victorian company was fined over a timber mill death, this outback operation shows how quickly gaps in procedure can turn deadly.

Key Lessons for Safety Professionals

• Safety briefings alone are not enough — physical work areas must match verbal instructions given to workers and visitors.
• Machinery hazards near foot traffic require barriers or alternate routes, not just warnings.
• Regulators expect businesses to proactively identify entanglement risks before an incident occurs.
• Documented safe work procedures, similar to a vehicle accident company SWMS, help demonstrate due diligence.

The full article can be viewed on the NT WorkSafe website, which outlines the regulator's full findings and reasoning behind the penalty.