Avant Stone fined $450k after worker, 56, crushed to death under stone slabs weighing more than 600kg

A court has been told of an Aussie company’s fatal safety flaw which led to a worker being crushed to death under two 600kg stones in a horrific accident.

An Aussie stone company had no proper supervision or spotting systems in place when a worker was crushed to death underneath two stone slabs weighing more than 600kg, a court has been told.

The fatal flaw in Avant Stone’s business practice has cost them close to half-a-million dollars after Anton Bauer, 56, died at the company’s Beresfield warehouse in Sydney in 2022.

Avant Stone is stone slab supplier to stonemasons and builders, based in Sydney and Newcastle.

10 people worked at the Sydney warehouse at the time Mr Bauer was moving stone slabs for a client inspection, under instruction for a co-worker, at 9am on August 20, 2022.

Anton Bauer, 56, was crushed to death underneath two stone slabs that weighed more than 600kg after they fell at Avant Stone’s Beresfield warehouse in Sydney. Picture: Supplied

The co-worker left to use the bathroom at 11.15am and returned four minutes later to find Mr Bauer lying on the floor, partially crushed under two stone slabs.

“The stone slabs weighed approximately 315kg each,” a District Court judgment states.

“(The co-worker) called an ambulance and emergency services attended.

“Mr Bauer was unable to be revived and was declared dead at the scene of the incident.”

There were no direct witnesses to the incident and the co-worker last saw Mr Bauer operating a remote control to use a crane to move the slabs.

The District Court was told Avant Stone did not have a documented system in place for lifting and moving stone slabs at the time.

There was also no supervision or spotting system in place to ensure safe systems of work were followed when this work was undertaken.

Avant Stone pleaded guilty in court to failing its work health and safety duty, therefore exposing Mr Bauer to a risk of death or serious injury.

The company’s directors conducted regular safety inspections and had frequent discussions with workers concerning safety issues, the court was told.

Mr Bauer could not be revived despite the efforts of emergency services. Picture: NewsWire / Christian Gilles

A lawyer for Avant Stone said $450,000 had since been invested in improving the equipment and procedures, including the installation of overhead cranes in the Sydney factory.

“Avant Stone was not a company which took safety lightly. However, it is apparent that they did not have appropriate systems in place in the warehouse (or indeed in the Sydney factory) to eliminate or minimise the risk of stone slabs tipping,” the District Court judgment states.

“Avant Stone should have known of the risk of slabs falling.”

The company was fined $600,000, but this was reduced to $450,000 because of Avant Stone’s guilty plea.

Originally published as Avant Stone fined $450k after worker, 56, crushed to death under stone slabs weighing more than 600kg