Winslow Infrastructure Pty Ltd has entered into an enforceable undertaking after a worker was crushed under fallen traffic management barriers and fencing, sustaining serious injuries. The large national civil construction company was engaged to complete a road upgrade in Carrum Downs and engaged various companies to provide equipment and sub-contracted traffic controllers for the job.
The traffic barriers that Winslow Infrastructure was using to define pedestrian walkways at the workplace had instructions printed on the side of the barriers clearly instructing users to fill the barriers with water to provide weight and stability. Winslow Infrastructure failed to fill the barriers involved in the incident with water, despite filling other barriers at the workplace.
In February 2023 a traffic controller was walking along the pedestrian walkway when 23 traffic management barriers and attached fencing overturned, crushing and trapping the worker who suffered six broken ribs, a broken collarbone, two collapsed lungs and a blood clot in one lung.
WorkSafe inspectors attended the site and issued an improvement notice requiring Winslow Infrastructure to provide a safe system of work for setting up and maintaining the barriers.
In lieu of prosecution, WorkSafe accepted an Enforceable Undertaking from the company committing to complete the following actions within 18 months:
- Develop education training videos on safety risks and present to five local secondary schools.
- Engage CodeSafe Solutions to develop four training videos.
- Create a traffic safety campaign pamphlet to be delivered by mail to 10,000 local residents likely to drive through live traffic areas under construction by Winslow Infrastructure.
- Engage with three new civil contractor businesses to help enhance their SWMS and risk assessments for high-risk work.
- Donate $100,000 to TIACS, a professional mental health counselling service for blue collar workers.
The estimated cost of the enforceable undertaking is $300,000 – likely significantly more than the cost of ensuring that a safe system of work with check and balances was in place to prevent this incident which caused critical injuries to the traffic controller.
Read more: Prosecution Result Summaries and Enforceable Undertakings | WorkSafe Victoria