MPMG fined $90,000 after two workers were injured from scaffold collapse
Western Sydney’s MPMG FM Pty has been fined $90,000 after two workers were badly hurt when a scaffold collapsed while they were painting a building in Heathcote in 2016.
The Express
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Western Sydney business MPMG FM Pty has been fined $90,000 after two workers were seriously injured when a scaffold collapsed while they were painting a building in Heathcote in 2016.
According to a Finance Services & Innovation department spokeswoman, one painter sustained injuries to his back, shoulder, knee and thumb from the April 2016 accident.
“He was unable to work for several months,” a department spokeswoman said.
“The other painter sustained multiple fractures, a punctured lung and significant facial and dental injuries.”
She said the Penrith-based MPMG pleaded guilty to an offence under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 in the District Court of NSW.
Better Regulation Division Deputy Secretary, Rose Webb, said MPMG failed to comply
with its health and safety duty for the two painters at the site, where they used an
improperly constructed mobile scaffold.
“This month, the court convicted and fined MPMG for exposing their workers to a risk of suffering serious injury from falling,” she said.
A spokeswoman for MPMG said the SafeWork matters and decisions handed down by the court should serve as not only a penalty to the company in question, but as a strong warning that safety is a priority across all Building and Maintenance Work Sites.
“We respect the decision of the court and concede that the plea of guilty is warranted, we first as a company accepted this guilt,” the spokeswoman said.
“All MPMG FM Pty Ltd employees are inducted to sites, they receive proper training and are provided with PPE that is compliant.
“An accident occurred, two sub-contractors were injured as a result of falling from a scaffold that they put together on site.
“As a company that has been in the industry since the 90’s, we pride ourselves on the ability to deliver projects that are of high quality, and abide by safety regulations, this is the first occasion that the company has faced where an accident has occurred.
“MPMG FM Pty Ltd has taken extreme measures to further educate our staff, re-train and support our employees, we have taken this matter with great seriousness and have applied further screening methods when engaging staff, employees and contractors to ensure they are either qualified or require training prior to attending an active site.
“We encourage our fellow companies in the industry to keep up to date with regulations, be in contact with staff and ensure every persons safety is the highest of priorities.
“Thank you for spreading the awareness, MPMG FM will continue to be alert, informed and practice safe standards across all our current and future projects.
“We hope that our injured sub-contractors continue to recover as well as they have to date, and send regards to them and their families.”
According to the department, the company — which provides facilities maintenance by builders and painters — had been contracted to undertake painting works at a school in Heathcote, Sutherland Shire.
This included painting high areas of the school buildings using a mobile scaffold provided by the company.
According to the spokeswoman, in April 2016 two painters subcontracted by the company pushed the mobile scaffold onto unlevelled ground to paint the side of a block of school buildings.
“One worker began painting from the top platform of the scaffold, about seven metres high,” she said.
“The other was working from the middle platform, which was about five metres high.
“While they were painting the block, the entire scaffold shifted then collapsed.”