Female apprentice scalded with high-pressure boiling water

A teenage apprentice knew entering a male-dominated workplace would be tough, but what happened next led her to abandon her dream for good. Warning: Graphic

Warning: Graphic images

Caitlin Agius expected a career in a male-dominated heavy diesel workshop would be tough, but it was her dream, and she relished the challenge.

She never could have imagined how quickly that dream would become an absolute nightmare that would leave her physically and, she says, mentally scarred for life.

Old industry Facebook posts show a young woman with a bright proud grin, draped in high-vis, with a hard hat in hand.

Back then, she was one of the faces of an industry trying its best to head in a new, inclusive direction – a promising young female STEM apprentice in the making.

“Good luck Caitlin!” a post from 2017 reads.

Caitlin Agius pictured in 2017, pre-training for her apprenticeship. Picture: Supplied

Caitlin (right) knew early on what she wanted to do. Picture: Supplied

A proud Darling Downs training company posted it, congratulating the teenager for being nominated for the school-based apprentice or trainee of the year award.

She was years away from graduating high school when she decided, earlier than most, to focus her energy and studies on becoming a diesel mechanic.

Long term, she dreamt of running a family business with her brother, who started the same apprenticeship at the same time, and her dad, who also worked in the industry.

But by 18, just six months into her apprenticeship, her dream was all but crushed in a horrific incident.

According to a statement of claim, her apprenticeship came to a screeching halt in October 2019 when a male colleague in her Toowoomba workshop sprayed her foot with 155C hot water from a high-pressure gurney.

It alleges the pressure was so immense that it caused her steel cap boot to break, and the scalding hot water penetrated her shoe.

“He was washing the bus in the washbay. He pointed the gurney wand at my foot and blasted me with water,” Caitlin claimed.

“It burned through my boot into my foot. I saw the skin had peeled off when I took my sock off in the workshop.”

The aftermath of Caitlin’s workplace incident. Picture: Supplied

When she approached her seniors, she was given first aid in the form of burn-aid cream.

She says she believed she should have been offered iced or cold water to treat the burn.

She also claimed the workplace neither phoned an ambulance for treatment or called her parents to let them know what had happened.

Instead, Caitlin says she sat in the lunchroom for an hour until she was driven to the hospital.

“The hospital didn’t give me medication to prevent infection,” she said.

Astonishingly, she attempted to resume her training just days after, her foot still bandaged after some preliminary treatment.

However, after a few days of light duties, she returned to the hospital when she realised the pain was not subsiding.

“I felt faint and returned to the hospital where I was told I had a Staph infection. A plastic surgeon warned me that I could lose my toe,” she said.

Caitlin spent the following weeks undergoing a skin graft where skin from her leg was grafted onto the top of her foot before spending weeks in-and-out of the hospital recovering.

She said the worker was not reprimanded.

Caitlin needed a skin graft and says she’s still not completely healed almost four years on. Picture: Supplied

She lasted four more months with her employer before leaving on her own accord due to what she claimed was constant, mostly sexist bullying.

“All of the apprentices get given sh*t, but not as much as what I got given,” she said.

“They were up on a pedestal compared to where I was – I was rock bottom.”

Now settling into a career in real estate, the 21-year-old is boldly speaking out against unacceptable workplace behaviour.

She said incidents like hers are not uncommon across the spectrum of skilled trades, with hazing and other forms of abuse almost culturally accepted as industry standard.

“You hear about workplace accidents, and you think “yep, that injury has happened from someone’s stupidity and lack of care,” she said.

“But someone else did this to me. Burning someone with hot water is just something you would never think about doing to another person.

“We were just so angry at him. We didn’t know what to do.”

Caitlin did her best to return to work but says she was eventually bullied out of the job. Picture: Supplied

Her message to other young female workers, who she thinks are often targeted more than their male colleagues, is simple – don’t put up withbad behaviour in the workplace.

Caitlin urges young workers to contact their union or even the police and read up on their legal rights.

“The workplace and business owners have a responsibility to prevent incidents like this from happening.

“Just because we are women doesn’t mean you have to treat us differently; just let us do what you do and get on with our jobs,” she said.

“I didn’t want to get lawyers involved because I wanted to finish my apprenticeship.”

But that’s exactly what she did.

“I’m going down this path to recover my lost wages and medical costs, and to address the pain and suffering I’ve experienced,” Caitlin said.

Her lawyer, Juliet Parsons from Slater and Gordon, is working on a workers’ compensation negligence claim filed against the employer in the Queensland District Court.

She said Caitlin had been let down terribly by her workplace and those working there.

“Caitlin’s employer caused and allowed her to be exposed to a risk of injury, she said.

“They failed to provide and maintain a safe system of work and failed to provide training to staff to ensure the gurney was not pointed at other employees.”

Caitlin has since settled on a career in real estate. Picture: Supplied

“They could have provided better training and could have fit the hose with a lockout device that capped the water temperature at 75C.”

According to Ms Parsons, her client now suffers permanent scarring, ongoing pain, and a psychological condition.

“It’s unfair that a young, enthusiastic person like Caitlin had to experience such poor treatment,” she said.

“Caitlin has shown great resilience in changing jobs and career paths after such a major setback, especially after being unable to complete her apprenticeship in her chosen career.”

“Violence and aggressive behaviour in the workplace doesn’t just cause injuries. It can result in lives being lost.”

The Key Work Health and Safety Statistics Australia 2023 report published by Safe Work Australia on Thursday found that Australian workers under 25 are slightly more likely than average to make a serious workers’ compensation claim, with 6.8 claims per million hours worked.

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Originally published as Female apprentice scalded with high-pressure boiling water