Transport company fined for safety failure

Transport Company Fined for Safety Failure

A national transport company has been convicted and fined for a serious work health and safety failure, following an investigation by federal work health and safety regulator Comcare.

The company was fined $300,000 after pleading guilty to an offence under the Commonwealth Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (WHS Act), after an incident left a worker seriously injured.

What Happened at the Adelaide Freight Depot

The incident happened when workers were manually raising heavy interlocked gates on a truck trailer after delivering a load of steel coil at an Adelaide freight depot on 25 November 2018.

Gates fell on one of the workers, seriously injuring his leg. This type of manual handling task carries significant risk when proper transport and warehousing safety management practices aren't followed.

Court Findings on Safety Management Failures

Judge Ian Press of the District Court of South Australia said the company exposed workers and drivers to a risk of serious injury by failing to ensure use of exclusion zones and mechanical lifting of gates.

Comcare's General Manager of Regulatory Operations Justin Napier said the consequences of failing to have a safe system of work in place for this job were potentially fatal.

"The incident was preventable and there were simple remedies available to minimise risks – using mechanical means to move gates and establishing an exclusion zone during the operation," Napier said.

Why Safety Management Systems Matter

Effective safety management remains critical for businesses operating heavy machinery and equipment. Robust management systems help identify hazards before they cause harm, particularly in high-risk transport operations.

Health and safety management frameworks should address:

• Mechanical lifting alternatives for heavy loads
• Exclusion zones during hazardous operations
• Regular risk assessments for loading and unloading tasks
• Clear procedures for workers handling interlocked gates or similar equipment

Comcare's investigation highlights how gaps in safety management can lead to preventable injuries. Businesses that prioritise compliance with WHS obligations reduce risk exposure for their workforce significantly.

Poor management of routine tasks, such as raising trailer gates, can result in life-changing injuries. Companies managing national transport operations must embed safety management into daily practices, not treat compliance as an afterthought.

This case echoes another incident where a WA transport company was fined for fatigue breaches, reinforcing that health and safety management failures across the transport sector carry serious legal and financial consequences.

Building a Stronger Safety Culture

Organisations should review management systems regularly to ensure risk controls remain fit for purpose. Comcare's enforcement action serves as a reminder that safety management isn't optional — it's a legal requirement under the WHS Act.

Similar breaches have occurred elsewhere in industry. In one case, a company and its director were fined for safety breaches, demonstrating that management accountability extends beyond corporate entities to individual decision-makers.

Another example, involving a inflatable slide company fined for safety breaches, shows how inadequate management of operational hazards spans multiple industries beyond transport alone.

Businesses seeking to strengthen their compliance framework can explore tailored transport and warehousing safety packages designed to support robust management practices across daily operations.

For workers, safety management means having confidence that employers have assessed risks and implemented controls before tasks begin. For management teams, it means accepting responsibility for embedding safe systems of work at every level of operation.

Source: Comcare website.