Misz Pty Ltd fronts court after crane topples over at a work site
At least three people escaped serious injury after an overloaded crane toppled onto a factory at Dandenong South, a WorkSafe investigation has revealed.
South East
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Owners of a company that operated an overloaded crane which toppled onto a factory in Dandenong South have admitted operating the machine in breach of health and safety regulations.
Misz Pty Ltd pleaded guilty in the County Court on Tuesday to a charge of failure of a person who has management or control to ensure workplace is safe and without risks to health.
On June 3, 2019, the crane became unbalanced and toppled and its load fell onto a building owned by Martogg which manufactured and recycled plastic products.
The building was undergoing extension works and Misz Pty Ltd was engaged to undertake structural lifting of steel structures.
The operator escaped from the crane’s cabin uninjured while two workers on a platform in the building were unharmed.
The crane operator told investigators that a gust of wind pushed the crane “out of radius” and it had slewed to the right. He said the structure being lifted weighed 3.1 tonnes. He further
stated that he had no documented lift plan and only needed one when the load was more than 10 tonnes.
Investigators said windy conditions, combined with the weight of the load being lifted, rendered the workplace unsafe and not without risk to health.
Safety measures such as a reduced weight load, use of a large crane and waiting for the weather to improve should have been taken, they said.
Misz Pty Ltd will be sentenced on September 18.
