Biomix Pty Ltd, a compost organic waste to fertiliser company, has been fined following an incident that saw a worker run over by a water truck. The worker had been employed by Biomix as a ground worker for only ten days and was still in training when the incident occurred.
Biomix composts organic waste at its plant at Carag Carag in northern Victoria to create ag-ready compost to farmers.
Each day approximately 20 truckloads of green waste, including food and garden organics and commercial waste, are delivered to the site for processing. After composting, around three semi-sized or B-double truckloads of compost are collected each day for transport to customers’ farms. Each truck entering or exiting the workplace is weighed on a weighbridge near the entrance to the site.
Due to the buildup of spilled product at the weighbridge, regular cleaning of the area was required, for which Biomix had developed a cleaning process. Using a high pressure hose attached to a water truck, water was used to blast the spillage out from beneath the weighbridge. The process required one worker to stay with the stationary water truck and control the water pressure whilst a second worker lay down with the hose to clean under the weighbridge. During the cleaning process the water truck would be moved three or four times on the west side of the weighbridge and twice on the east side.
On the day of the incident the trainee worker was instructed to help the water truck driver to clean the weighbridge – it was his first time completing this task.
When the water truck arrived and the high pressure hose was unrolled approximately 5m the driver told the trainee worker that the water hose reel on the back of the truck was broken and that it was difficult to reel back in once it had been deployed.
The trainee worker got onto the ground with the high pressure hose to perform the cleaning task, whilst the driver stayed with the water truck. About 15 minutes after the task was commenced the driver moved the water truck forward and the rear driver side wheel rolled over the trainee worker’s left foot.
The process for cleaning under the weighbridge had not been documented and no information was given to the workers about the risks associated with the task. There was no instruction to park the water truck in a location where it could remain for the entire cleaning process or to roll out the full length of the high pressure water hose.
As well as failing to document and risk assess the task in order to provide a safe workplace, Biomix also failed to provide supervision or regular monitoring of the task to ensure workers maintained a safe distance from the water truck when it was moving.
WorkSafe publishes guidance for employers to safely manage the risks of mobile equipment and pedestrian interface:
Biomix pleaded guilty to the charges and was without conviction sentenced to pay a fine of $20,000 on Charge 1 and $5,000 on Charge 2.
The maximum applicable penalty value for a breach of s.21 of the OHS Act at the time of the incident was approximately $1.73 million.
In February 2025 the Sentencing Advisory Council released a report to the Victorian Government making 12 recommendations for reform regarding the sentencing of OHS offences in Victoria. This included significantly increasing maximum penalties for breaching OHS duties in line with community expectations. The Victorian Government is yet to provide a response to this report.
Read more: Prosecution Summaries and Enforceable Undertakings | WorkSafe Victoria