The dodgy Victorian companies handed the biggest fines in court in FY23
Dodgy businesses have been put on notice after WorkSafe doled out almost $13m in fines last financial year, new data can reveal.
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Dodgy businesses have been put on notice after WorkSafe doled out almost $13m in fines last financial year, new data can reveal.
WorkSafe completed 151 occupational health and safety prosecutions in the 2022-23 financial year, resulting in fines totalling $12,727,550.
This is a significant increase on the previous financial year, where more than $8.6m in fines were imposed and 137 companies prosecuted.
Take a look at some of the biggest fines to come out of FY23.
Costly four day warehouse blaze
A four day warehouse fire in Melbourne’s north sparked a near $3m fine for a company, with further investigations finding problems at other sites owned by the same business.
Bradbury Industrial Services, now in liquidation, pleaded guilty to a single charge under the OH&S act and five under the Dangerous Goods Act after a large fire spread through its Campbellfield warehouse which took four days to extinguish.
The fire occurred after a worker was decanting a flammable toluene from a bulk container, which was held by a forklift, into a drum.
The worker was hospitalised for three days with burns to his face and throat.
An investigation conducted by WorkSafe found Bradbury failed to provide necessary training and supervision for employees to work with dangerous goods, including ensuring they understood the risk of fire and explosion from electrostatic charge.
Inspections into five other Bradbury sites found issues with the storage of more than 10 million litres of chemicals.
The investigations into Bradbury found it had failed to take reasonable precautions to prevent fires or explosions at these sites.
Bradbury was convicted and fined $500,000 for failing to provide a safe workplace in relation to the chemical blaze and convicted and fined $2.4m for failing to take precautions at the other five locations.
Major fine after tragic power station death
The death of a power station worker with 30 years’ experience in 2018 saw a Gippsland power station fined more than $1m.
Energy Australia Yallourn worker Graeme Edwards, 54, died in hospital with severe burns sustained in an explosion while he was racking a 6.6kv circuit breaker in a high voltage switch room.
The company pleaded guilty to three charges under the Occupation Health and Safety Act.
The court heard it was likely the incident occured when a control cable made contact with live components of the circuit breaker due to an inadequately attached infill panel on the switchboard cabinet.
At the time Mr Edwards was wearing flammable cotton overalls.
Energy Australia Yallourn admitted it should have provided readily available protective equipment.
The company was fined $1.5m.
Diving company in hot water
A Somerville diving company found itself in deep waters when it pleaded guilty to multiple life threatening breaches.
The Melbourne County Court heard Underwater Inspection Services repeatedly placed staff in dangerous situations across jobs between May and August 2018, where it failed to ensure workers were trained for the task, provided ill-fitting or unfamiliar equipment and failed to ensure staff understood rescue procedures and emergency plans.
One worker who had found themselves stuck in a culvert less than one metre in diameter managed to crawl themselves out after a call for help on the communication system went unheard.
An investigation into the incident found a backup diver on the same job was not trained to undertake a rescue.
The court also heard that during the WorkSafe investigation, UIS told workers to lie about experience and training.
UIS was fined $730,000 and convicted.
Two metre fall kills worker
A now closed Glen Waverley building company fronted court in May after a 26-year-old worker died after a 2m fall.
The Melbourne County Court heard the worker from Ourarchi was installing a glass window from first floor scaffolding in Templestowe when he lost his footing on an unsecured wooden plank and fell onto the concrete floor.
He was taken to hospital with head injuries and died.
The court heard it was reasonably practicable for Ourarchi could have reduced the risk of falls by installing kickboards and rails before it was accessed by workers; and by using and installing proper decking material.
The company was convicted and fined $390,000.
Tragic factory death results in conviction
A tragic incident where a 770kg condenser fatally crushed one worker and injured another saw a Cobram engineering company sentenced.
A1 Engineering was found guilty by a jury at Shepparton County Court in May for failing to provide necessary supervision to enable staff to work without health risks.
The incident occurred in December 2017, with A-1 engaged to support the dismantling and packing of equipment at a cheese factory.
A 59 year old man died and a second worker was seriously injured while working after a condenser weighing 770kg that was moved into a closed shop shipping container fell off a jack.
The two men were inside the container preparing to remove skates from underneath the condenser.
A WorkSafe investigation found that A-1 Engineering should have ensured that the workers were actively supervised while undertaking the task.
A1 Engineering was convicted and fined $250,000.
The work at the factory was directed by Andrew Buchanan Engineering Ltd and was also convicted and fined $300,000.
Apprentice hurt twice in a day
Topline Carpentry South East was fined after a 16-year-old apprentice suffered a “badly cut hand” when a power saw was thrown to him.
Despite the injury he continued to work and was shot in the head by a nail gun while constructing a door frame.
The nail penetrated 2cm into his brain.
WorkSafe director of health and safety Narelle Beer described this incident as “horrific”.
“It is vital that those who are new to the workforce are adequately supervised and presented with examples of what a safety first attitude looks like from their employer and other experienced workers,” she said.
Dodgy fitness instructor exposed
29-year-old Stephanie Carroll collected nearly $60,000 in weekly stress and anxiety compensation payments, while failing to disclose she had taken over the lease and franchise of a Ballarat fitness studio.
During this time she continued to submit certificates which said she had not been working.
She pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining payments.
She was convicted and placed on a 12 month CCO with 125 hours unpaid community work.
She was also ordered to pay the $59,000 back and $2000 in costs.
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