Hay Australia Victoria charged after worker’s death in Bridgewater

An Australian hay exporter will appear in court after a worker was crushed by machinery at a workplace near Bendigo.

An Australian hay exporter will appear in court following a regional Victorian worker’s fatal crushing in a bailing machine.

WorkSafe has charged Hay Australia Victoria Pty Ltd, now known as 623452924HAV Pty Ltd, with two breaches of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

The company, at the time of the death, was called Hay Australia Victoria but was charged under the name 623452924HAV PTY LTD.

It has since been purchased by Hay Australia, who has no relation to the court case. 

The company, which has sites across the country, compresses hay into bales for shipping.

In February 2021, a 29-year-old worker suffered fatal injuries at Bridgewater, northwest of Bendigo, when he was trapped in a hay bailing machine.

WorkSafe alleged the company failed to provide or maintain a plant that was safe and without risks to health, and that it failed to ensure a safeguarding system was used to eliminate risk in dangerous areas of its workplace.

The matter will be heard at Bendigo Magistrates Court next week.