Wednesday 17th February 2021

Gippsland tip operator fined after a woman was seriously injured. 

A tip operator has been convicted and fined $45,000 after a woman was seriously injured when she fell 2.5 metres into a skip bin in November 2018.

Skip bins at the company's Kilmany Resource Centre were located beneath elevated concrete platforms where people could park and dispose of their waste.

The woman was unloading waste from her ute when she slipped and fell between two guard rails. She landed on the bottom of the skip, fracturing several ribs and injuring her spine.

The court heard that no instructions were provided on how to dispose of waste safely.

Towards Zero Pty Ltd pleaded guilty in the Sale Magistrates' Court on the 11 February, failing to ensure persons other than employees were not exposed to risks to their health and safety.

WorkSafe Executive Director of Health and Safety Julie Nielsen said, 'Falls from heights are one of the biggest causes of injury and death in Victorian workplaces and these risks should always be taken seriously.'

The full story can be found on the WorkSafe Vic website.

BOM sued after eleven passengers injured in a balloon crash. 

A hot air balloon operated by Go Wild Ballooning (GWB) made an emergency landing in the Yarra Valley in 2018, causing eleven passengers to be injured.

A sudden wind change which caused the balloon to shift course, sending it towards powerlines that forced the pilot to make an emergency landing.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) report showed that the passengers were not given an effective safety briefing before the flight.

The ATSB has since taken legal action against Go Wild Ballooning for injuries sustained in the crash. GWB is now taking legal action against the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) over an incorrect weather forecast.

Go Wild filed the claim in the Victorian Supreme Court against the Commonwealth of Australia, seeking to make the federal government liable for damages.

They have now introduced new safety processes, requiring passengers to demonstrate the emergency landing position after they board the balloon.

The full story can be found on the ABC News website.