Cattle company Vermelha agrees to $200K safety upgrades after British backpacker Henry Dunn loses arm in workplace accident

A worker who lost an arm in one of the most dangerous jobs in the Territory has secured a major victory, with the company agreeing to fork out more than $200K in safety upgrades.

British backpacker Henry Dunn lost his lower left arm after a workplace accident on a remote Northern Territory cattle station.

A cattle company has been forced to fork out more than $200,000 on safety upgrades after a British backpacker’s arm was crushed and amputated following an accident at an outback Territory station.

NT WorkSafe confirmed on Tuesday Queensland-based cattle company Vermelha and its director Hoang Diep Nguyen had entered into an enforceable undertaking to improve conditions at the Katherine region cattle station.

It comes nearly two years after 23-year-old Henry Dunn’s arm was crushed by a post driver while manually positioning fence posts.

NT WorkSafe alleged the post-driver was modified to remove an important built-in safety feature, while the 10-year-old tractor lacked appropriate labels or marking to differentiate the functions of the various levers.

British backpacker Henry Dunn lost his lower left arm after a workplace accident on a remote Northern Territory cattle station.

“It is also alleged that the worker was not provided adequate training or instruction, and a safe system of work was not implemented on the use of the tractor and post-driver,” a spokesman said.

Mr Dunn was just one week away from finishing his work on the remote Larrimah station when he lost his arm.

NT Work Health and Safety regulator Peggy Cheong said under the enforceable undertaking Vermelha would roll out mobile safety apps specifically for its remote workforce, which would then be shared with the NT Cattlemen’s Association for other station workers.

“Over the past few years, NT WorkSafe published statistics showing farm hands are the main occupation being seriously injured in the Northern Territory,” Ms Cheong said.

NT WorkSafe confirmed on Tuesday that the Queensland based cattle company Vermelha and the company director Hoang Diep Nguyen have entered into an enforceable undertaking to improve conditions at the Katherine region cattle station.

She said the company would upgrade the uniforms and personal protective equipment, worker accommodation quarters and communal recreation facilities at Vermelha Station to “assist with heat-related stress, fatigue and mental health” of its employees.

It has also agreed to engage a Work Health and Safety consultant for two years and hold annual independent safety audits of its site.

Ms Cheong said critically, the company agreed to educate others, to prevent other tragic workplace incidents.

She said Vermelha agreed to sponsor first aid and workplace health and safety training programs, including a one-day workshop specifically for NT Vietnamese Horticultural Association and develop Vietnamese-language resource kits.

“(It will) present at a Vietnamese business community event a presentation on the work health and safety requirements when doing business in the Northern Territory,” she said.

British backpacker Henry Dunn lost his lower left arm after a workplace accident on a remote Northern Territory cattle station.

In response to the enforceable undertaking, NT WorkSafe withdrew two of the three charges of reckless conduct causing injury against Vermelha and Mr Nguyen, which could have resulted in a combined maximum fine against the company of $6m.

“While a fine from a successful prosecution is a deterrent for companies not to break the work health and safety laws, the money paid is not reinvested back into the industry to improve safety,” Ms Cheong said.

“The value of the strategies would be higher than a fine in a successful prosecution and I hope the strategies proposed are met and deliver the intended safety benefits to the workers in the NT’s agriculture industry.”

While charges were withdrawn against Vermelha and Mr Nguyen, the station manager Lindsay Elliott still faces a charge of reckless conduct causing injury.

His next appearance is due on Wednesday September 18.