Hy-Tec Industries before court on workplace health and safety charge

New details in a case brought by the workplace health safety watchdog can be revealed after a man was seriously injured at a quarry north of Gympie and had to be flown out by a rescue chopper. VIDEO.

A work safety case against operators of a quarry north of Gympie has been mentioned in court after a man was seriously injured in an incident in August, 2022.

According to court documents, the complaint was lodged by Workplace Health and Safety prosecutor Simon Nicholson alleging Hy-Tec Industries had an obligation to ensure the risk to workers while at the operator’s mine was at an acceptable level.

The “fail to discharge health and safety obligation” charge was mentioned before Maryborough Magistrates Court this week.

According to court documents, the injured man Torin O’Hanlon, who was 21 at the time, and another man were both employees of Australian Crushing Services, a services provider working at the Hy-Tec Concrete and Aggregates quarry in Scotchy Pocket.

Mr O’Hanlon was operating a refuelling truck at the time of the incident on August 16, 2022, while the other man was operating a front-end loader.

Man hurt at Hy-Tec quarry, Scotchy Pocket, August 16, 2022

The other man parked his loader near one of the crushing plants at the mine and Mr O’Hanlon parked his refuelling truck behind the loader, with the rear of the truck positioned at the rear of the loader, according to court documents.

Mr O’Hanlon exited his refuelling truck and stood between the two vehicles.

Another man then entered the loader and reversed, pinning Mr O’Hanlon between the loader and the truck.

Emergency services were called to the Lindley's Lane worksite about 5km north of Curra at 8am following reports of the incident.

Paramedics kept Mr O’Hanlon stable until the LifeFlight rescue helicopter, called from nearby Maroochydore, landed at the quarry and took him to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.

Mr O’Hanlon suffered pelvic and abdominal injuries in the incident.

“The hazard posed a risk that a person would interact with (the) mobile plant and be injured during the refuelling task,” the documents read.

“The defendant had an obligation to ensure the risk was at an acceptable level.

“The defendant did not follow any of these prescribed ways of reducing risk, including implementing dedicated refuelling areas where (the) mobile plant could be parked in dedicated bays, which were protected by bund walls which were separated from (the) mobile plant during the refuelling task.”

Otherwise, the company could have required the mobile plant be shut down, isolated and locked out while refuelling took place, the documents read.

“The defendant should have implemented the hazard control and had failed to reduce the risk to workers from the refuelling task to an acceptable level,” the documents read.

The case was adjourned to April 15, 2024.

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