NT workplace safety watchdog probes eight alleged height breaches since September

WorkSafe has called for Territory businesses to take more care after a spate of reported safety fails. See our pictures.

Northern Territory businesses have been warned to properly manage height risks and the requirement around worker safety as new data shows a 71 per cent increase in the national rate of death-by-falling.

The latest figures from Safe Work Australia indicate falls from a height were the second highest contributor to Australian worker fatalities, increasing from 17 to 29 deaths since 2022.

NT WorkSafe said despite the 71 per cent national increase in deaths, Territorians continued to ignore the risks of falling from a height.

The agency said in mid-September a worker was seen by WorkSafe inspectors in Alice Springs standing on a first-level awning without fall protection.

An alleged workplace beach in Alice Springs in September.

The agency said two days later, concerned members of the public alerted WorkSafe inspectors in Darwin to three employees standing on an industrial shed about 8.5m in height without fall protection.

The following week again in Darwin, WorkSafe was again notified by members of the public about a painter standing on the roof of a three-storey building leaning over the roof’s edge painting without fall protection.

An alleged workplace height breach in Darwin in September.

NT WorkSafe said it was conducting inquiries into claims of a further five instances of working at heights without fall protection that had occurred since last month.

WorkSafe said investigations were still underway to determine the cause of the incident and the appropriate regulatory response.

The work safety agency said regardless of the job, if there was a risk of a person falling from one level to another the business owner must manage the risks associated with the hazard.

Potential fines include issuing a $3640 infringement notice for a business and $760 for an individual, with prosecutions also possible under the Work Health and Safety Act.

WorkSafe’s notice came two months after business manager Nicholas Zikos and Mpriza Group Pty Ltd faced charges for height breaches from a job in Katherine in May.

On that occasion, two workers attended a property to comply with a safety audit on a newly installed solar PV array but in a series of photos sent to NT Worksafe to show the defects had been fixed, images also allegedly showed issues of noncompliance around heights.

The matter will be back in Darwin Local Court for a plea or mention on November 13.

Originally published as NT workplace safety watchdog probes eight alleged height breaches since September