Minoan Constructions Pty Ltd has been fined $270,000 after a member of their own family fell to his death on their worksite in 2022. The 69-year-old man was helping in the family-operated business by laying flooring and installing guard railing on the mezzanine level of the commercial units they were constructing.
The man and other workers used unsecured ladders to access the mezzanine level and worked while standing on the ladders or near the unprotected edges of the mezzanine floors. The man fell whilst climbing down an unsecured ladder which began to move and caused him to fall more than four metres to the ground. He died at the scene.
The court found that it was reasonably practicable to Minoan Constructions to have provided a temporary platform, installed engineered guard railing, or provided appropriate staircases to access the mezzanine levels.
WorkSafe Executive Director of Health and Safety Sam Jenkin said "When working with family members, there can be a dangerous tendency to relax safety standards.”
To prevent falls from heights employers must have a safe system of work in place, implementing the highest possible controls –
- Eliminate the risk by, where practicable, doing all or some of the work on the ground or from a solid construction.
- Use a passive fall prevention device such as scaffolds, perimeter screens, guardrails, safety mesh or elevating work platforms.
- Use a positioning system, such as a travel-restraint system, to ensure employees work within a safe area.
- Use a fall arrest system, such as a harness, catch platform or safety nets, to limit the risk of injuries in the event of a fall.
- Use a fixed or portable ladder or implement administrative controls.
Read more: Construction company fined $270K after fatal fall | WorkSafe Victoria