‘Don’t touch me’: Health worker faces sack for nipple twist

A Queensland Health worker could lose his job for twisting his colleague’s nipple and attempting to grab the man’s genitals “on at least one occasion”.

The Gold Coast University Hospital Picture: Mike Batterham

A Queensland Health worker is facing the sack for twisting his colleague’s nipple and trying to grab his colleague’s genitals.

Roger Moran, an environmental services officer, has been found to have twisted his colleague’s left nipple on September 14, 2023 while they worked together at the Gold Coast University Hospital, according to a decision of the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission.

He has also been found to have tried to grab the man’s genitals “on at least one occasion” but not up to 50 times as the man had alleged.

In a decision handed down on Friday by Industrial Commissioner Sharon Caddie, she noted that Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service HR boss Grant Brown proposed that Mr Moran should be sacked.

But his union, the Australian Workers’ Union of Employees, Queensland, claimed sacking was disproportionate

The man told the QIRC that after his nipple was twisted at work he said, in a higher tone “Roger, I’ve told you not to touch me”.

The man said that Mr Moran “kind of laughed it off and scoffed.”

“In a loud voice I said to him that was very inappropriate and I told him to stop. He shrugged this off and kept on his way.”

The man told the QIRC that he “felt totally humiliated by the behaviour and believed it was done to belittle him”.

Witnesses told the tribunal that they heard the man saying “don’t touch me,” or “don’t do it again” and they said they saw Mr Moran leave with a smile on his face.

One witness said he saw the man upset and distressed and him saying, “If he does it again, I’m going to file note him.”

Later that day the man submitted a witness statement reporting that Mr Moran engaged in repeated inappropriate behaviour including of a sexual nature, directed towards him.

He made a complaint to the Queensland Police Service as well as to hospital management.

Mr Moran took his case to the QIRC in a bid to overturn the findings of three allegations: the nipple twisting, attempting to grab genitals and approaching him from behind and using his two hands to grab his chest.

Mr Moran argued in the QIRC that the allegations were not capable of substantiation on the balance of probabilities, given his outright denials of some conduct and the lack of any witness verification.

Ms Caddie ruled that each of the three allegations were substantiated and give rise to disciplinary grounds is fair and reasonable.

But Ms Caddie concluded that there was no evidence that Mr Moran ever physically touched his colleagues’ genitals but that it was “more likely than not” that he did try “on at least one occasion” to grab them, as his man complained to another co-worker.

The man told the investigator that Mr Moran’s attempts to grab his genitals may have occurred on 20 or 50 occasions over eight years, and it occurred in the cage, as there were “no cameras” in that area.

Ms Caddie concluded that “the alleged scale of the genital grabbing behaviour has not been demonstrated to the necessary standard”, but that one incident of trying to grab had occurred.

The man said that the repeated behaviour made him feel uncomfortable and that he had told Mr Moran to stop.

“He considers that Mr Moran went out of his way to make his life a misery,” the decision says.

Mr Moran denied ever attempting to touch or touching the man’s genitals and states their friendship did not extend to anything so personal.

Mr Moran was suspended from duty on normal pay after he was told of the complaint on 5 October 2023.

The man was described as a “large man” and Mr Moran told investigators that he said of the man: “I suppose he’s going to be eating KFC tonight.”

Mr Moran apologised for any comment the man felt was inappropriate, and told investigators he did not wish to cause any harm.

Witnesses interviewed as part of the investigation – by workplace disputes firm Ashdale – into the claims reported of a workplace culture in which Mr Moran was known to play around, muck around, and play tricks.

Examples included hiding or moving things, taking a key out of a machine someone was trying to move, teasing and joking.

The GCHHS has not made a final decision on the disciplinary action Mr Moran will face but Mr Brown was seeking Mr Moran’s sacking, the decision states.

Originally published as ‘Don’t touch me’: Health worker faces sack for nipple twist