SA business hit with large fine due to safety lapses leading to apprentice’s death

The South Australian Employment Court has ordered a Riverland-based manufacturing firm to pay a fine of $840,000 after an apprentice died in 2021.

SafeWork SA charged the company following an investigation that revealed the company's negligence in ensuring the safety of its employees from potential fatal or severe harm, as outlined in the Work Health and Safety Act 2012.

The incident happened in February 2021, when a failure in the cable of a gantry crane caused a stainless steel tank, exceeding three tonnes in weight, to descend upon a worker, resulting in his death by crushing.

“Our investigations found the gantry crane, and others operated by the company, had not been subjected to regular maintenance,” SafeWork SA said.

SafeWork SA Executive Director Glenn Farrell called on everyone with a role in worker safety to take a moment to think about how they can improve in order to avoid the tragic outcomes of unsafe practices.

“It should not take a serious incident or death to trigger improvements being made to protect workers from harm,” Farrell said.

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