Companies fined after worker falls two stories at Ashfield construction site
TWO companies have been fined after a construction worker suffered serious injuries when he fell at a high rise building site in Ashfield.
Inner West
Don't miss out on the headlines from Inner West. Followed categories will be added to My News.
TWO companies have been fined after a construction worker suffered serious injuries when he fell at a high rise building site in Ashfield.
Formwork labourer Bikay Kusimweray was working on the third storey of a construction site at 1 Victoria Ave on January 12, 2016, when he stepped on to an unsecured plywood board between a concrete slab and scaffolding, causing him to fall to the first floor.
The NSW District Court heard Mr Kusimweray had to undergo surgery for serious injuries, and had also suffered emotional and financial impacts.
Judge Wendy Strathdee found the developer Deicorp and formwork contractor Rock Form Group failed to carry out safety measures such as barriers and planks to cover gaps in the building site.
Ms Strathdee also found inspections of the site had not been undertaken before construction work began.
“The consequences were potentially catastrophic, and the worker was lucky to have survived,” Ms Strathdee said.
“The measures that could have been taken to control or eliminate the risk were not difficult or expensive, and as such the offence is more objectively serious.”
Rock Form Group was fined $127,500 and Deicorp was fined $75,000.
Both companies pleaded guilty for failing to comply with health and safety laws.
Better Regulation Minister Matt Kean said SafeWork NSW would continue to “come down hard” on businesses that neglect their workplace safety obligations
“I hope this outcome serves as a strong reminder to all businesses that worker safety should be a top priority,” Mr Kean said.