Wednesday 31st March 2021

Forklift seriously injures worker at a Gympie business. 

A Gympie business has been fined $35,000 after a worker was seriously injured when a forklift was reversed into him. The incident occurred on 8 March 2019 when another employee backed the forklift into the worker, fracturing his legs.

An investigation revealed the forklift's reversing indicator and warning lights were only working intermittently and had been like this for several weeks. Investigators were unable to determine if they were operating when the worker was injured.

The court found the business failed to provide any clearly outlined areas for pedestrians to walk on the site safely and while they have had safety procedures since 2010, neither the forklift driver nor worker could recall ever seeing them.

The business pleaded guilty in the Gympie Magistrates Court to failing its duty of care. Magistrate Graham Hillan accepted the business's guilty plea to the offence, noting the company had shown remorse, shutting the business for three days to address the safety failures. In addition to the fine he ordered the company to pay an additional $1600 in costs, and no conviction be recorded.

The full article is on The Daily Telegraph website.

Unlicensed gas work causes an explosion, injuring a worker. 

An explosion at a restaurant on 10 September 2019 has resulted in a worker receiving burns to 17% of his body, including his face and arms. The worker had trouble igniting a deep fryer gas appliance and unwittingly turned on the individual gas isolation valve for the unsealed pipe, which had been left open by another worker after disconnection of another gas appliance.

On 18 March 2021, the defendant pleaded guilty and was sentenced for carrying out unlicensed gas work and failing to comply with safety requirements by leaving an open-ended pipe uncapped. The defendant was fined $5,000 and ordered to pay $2,000 in compensation to the injured worker.

An investigation revealed that the defendant was not a holder of a gas work license authorising him to carry out the gas work. Had the gas been performed by a gas work license holder, the unsealed pipe would have been capped in accordance with the safety requirements, and the gas leak would not have occurred.

There was no conviction recorded.

The original article can be found on the Resources Safety & Health Queensland website.