In yet another example of employers putting apprentices at risk of falls, Elotan Pty Ltd (trading as CBH Roofing) has been convicted and fined $15,000 after an apprentice plumber sustained multiple broken bones in a preventable fall from height.
In November 2023 the director of Elotan and the apprentice were installing roofing on a residential premises in Ormond. The apprentice was instructed to assist the director in carrying roof sheets to the lower roof on the sides of the structure and then to begin work on the lower roof at the back of the structure.
Scaffolding that had previously been in place had been removed, leaving no protections against falling from height. There were no handrails or guardrails in place.
The director left the work site instructing the apprentice to continue working. While installing one of the roof sheets the apprentice braced his foot against the parapet on the edge of the roof. While shifting his weight, the sheet that he was standing on shifted, resulting in the apprentice falling off the unprotected edge to the ground below.
The apprentice landed on a cement mixer below, where his left arm struck the barrel of the mixer, and his neck hit its tyre. The apprentice suffered a fractured ulna, shattered radius and dislocated wrist.
Elotan entered a plea of guilty to the charge of failing to ensure that the work was performed in accordance with the Safe Work Method Statement.
For information about how to prevent falls in residential construction so our Working from Heights - what are the regulations? - OHS Reps page or refer to WorkSafe’s publication Compliance Code; Prevention of falls in housing construction.
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