Year 9 student could see own skull after circular saw woodwork room accident

A horror student accident involving a circular saw at a Geelong private school has seen a major Catholic education operator cop a large fine.

St Joseph’s College is a prominent Geelong Catholic boys’ school. Picture: Glenn Ferguson

A major Catholic education operator has been fined $23,800 and ordered to pay costs of $5,825 after an accident in a Geelong school woodwork room that seriously injured a Year 9 student and “at a tender age” turned his life “upside down”.

The accident involving a circular saw occurred at high-performing Geelong boys’ school St Joseph’s College and resulted in the then 14-year-old student suffering scars, medical bills and neurological damage.

In a victim impact statement read to Geelong Magistrates Court last month the student, now 19, said the injury was so deep that a week later he “could see many layers beneath the skin underneath” and his own skull.

Despite the severity of his injuries, teachers had asked him to speak directly to paramedics but due to being “physically and emotionally numb” at the time - and because he said teachers “downplayed the incident” - paramedics did not take him to hospital.

“How was I, as a teenager, able to blithely assess my own injuries and needs in this situation?” he said.

St Joseph’s, which prides itself on turning out gun AFL footballers, is located in the leafy Geelong suburb of Newtown.

Cameron Ling is one of a long list of Geelong players who attended St Joseph's College. Picture: Alison Wynd

In WorkSafe’s prosecution of the Trustees of Edmund Rice Education Australia (TEREA) - a statutory body that operates 55 Australian Catholic schools including St Joseph’s College - the court heard the horror accident in the Year 9 campus woodwork room occurred when the teacher was using the circular saw to cut a piece of timber.

The teacher, who was not authorised to use the machine, was pushing the wood length ways onto the saw blade with a ‘push stick’ when the cut piece of timber became caught in the saw blade and was then was propelled out, striking the student, who was standing about four metres away.

The teenager suffered deep cuts to the forehead and chin, damage to a nerve and muscle in his forehead, and teeth damage.

The push stick also moved backwards and struck the right arm of the teacher.

“There was a risk of serious injury to both teachers and to students using/observing the use of the table saw without following safe operating practices,” a WorkSafe summary of the court decision noted.

“The systems of work operating at the workplace were unsafe in that: The offender (TEREA) had not provided any training or instruction to the teacher on the safe use of woodworking machinery such as the table (circular) saw and the offender had not restricted the use of the table saw at the workplace to persons with the competencies to safely operate that plant.

The horror accident occurred in the Year 9 campus woodwork room of St Joseph’s College. Picture: Supplied

“The court noted general deterrence is a significant factor in these matters . . . The impact of the incident on the victims - both the teacher and student . . . his honour noted that in respect of the student (who provided a Victim Impact Statement) that ‘at a tender age life had been turned upside down’ and the ongoing reminders of the incident – scars, medical bills and neurological damage.”

However, the school body had pleaded guilty to the charges at the earliest stage and co-operated with WorkSafe in conducting a comprehensive and ongoing review of the incident, showing remorse and leading to changes to eliminate further risk, WorkSafe concluded in its court summary.

“The offender pleaded guilty and was without conviction sentenced to pay a fine of $23,800 and to pay costs of $5,825.”

St Joseph’s College principal Tony Paatsch said the school had worked closely with WorkSafe following the incident and had made a number of changes.

“It is our responsibility to create the safest possible learning environment, so when a student and teacher were hurt in our woodwork room in 2018, we took immediate action,” he said.

“We know that these improvements can’t change what happened and deeply regret that

any harm was caused in the first place. We have continued to monitor and evaluate our

processes to ensure we deliver the safest possible learning environment for the entire

school community,”

The school wished the young man involved in the “unfortunate incident” well in his chosen career and hoped he remained in touch with his friends from St Joseph’s, Mr Paatsch said.

The Year 9 Westcourt campus of St Joseph’s College is located at 41-45 Minerva Road in Herne Hill.