Thursday 4th March 2021

Mar 4th 2021 | Sarah Whitehead

Thursday 4th March 2021

Workplace Safety News: Thursday 4th March 2021

This week's workplace safety news roundup covers two significant enforcement actions from March 2021, highlighting the ongoing consequences of inadequate safety systems and environmental non-compliance. Below, we break down each incident and what it means for safety professionals across construction, manufacturing, and related industries.

Crane Hire Company Charged Over Serious Crush Injury

A Darwin mobile crane hire company has been charged by NT WorkSafe following an incident that left two workers injured. This case underscores why robust safe work method statements remain essential for high-risk lifting operations.

In February 2019, the crane company was engaged to transport and position an electrical switchboard into a newly constructed switchboard room at Palmerston Police Station, Western Australia. Workers loaded the switchboard onto four load skates using a mobile crane.

Three workers then attempted to manually manoeuvre the switchboard over a cable pit. During this manoeuvre, the 1.8-tonne switchboard fell backwards, pinning two of the workers involved.

One worker sustained moderate soft tissue injuries.
The second suffered severe head injuries and required rescue by emergency services personnel.

Investigations by NT WorkSafe found the mobile crane company lacked a safe system of work, despite the clearly high-risk nature of the activity. Full details of this enforcement action are available on the NT WorkSafe website, a trusted regulatory source for workplace safety news across the Northern Territory.

Illegal Asbestos Dumper Fined $20,000

A company and its director have been fined $10,000 each for illegally dumping asbestos and other construction waste, demonstrating why proper asbestos management procedures matter for every demolition and construction business.

An investigation began after a member of the public reported seeing nearly a tonne of asbestos and demolition waste dumped in a pine plantation at Everton Upper back in September 2018.

EPA Manager of Major Investigations, Dallas Clowes, said the company had obtained the waste during demolition work, and its director admitted to transporting materials there for storage and sorting purposes, ultimately to cut costs.

In January 2019, EPA Victoria issued a Clean Up Notice, which the company failed to comply with. Consequently, Wangaratta Magistrates Court fined both the company and its director for illegal dumping of industrial waste.

Read the full media release on the EPA Victoria website for further compliance guidance.

More Safety News From March 2021

For additional workplace safety updates published throughout March 2021, browse our related coverage below:

These incidents from early 2021 reinforce a consistent theme in workplace safety news: regulators continue prioritising enforcement against companies that neglect safe systems of work or environmental compliance obligations.

Thursday 4th March 2021