Eight charges laid over apprentice jockey's death
WorkSafe Victoria has charged a turf club and trainer following the death of an apprentice jockey who was thrown from a horse during trackwork. The 22-year-old woman was riding a section of track known as the ‘sand trails’ at Cranbourne Racecourse on 30 August 2019 when the incident occurred.
The club has been charged with three alleged breaches of section 23(1) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act for failing to ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, people other than employees were not exposed to risks to their health and safety. It was also charged with three alleged breaches of section 26(1) of the OHS Act for failing to ensure the workplace was safe and without risks to health. The regulator will allege the club failed to maintain the sand trails and ensure it was safe for use.
WorkSafe will also allege the horse trainer, Saloon Park Pty Ltd, failed to ensure its employees did not ride the sand trails track in the dark. As a result, Saloon Park has been charged with one count each of failing to provide a system of work that was, so far as reasonably practicable, safe and without risks to health under section 21(2)(a) of the OHS Act and failing to ensure the workplace was safe and without risks to health under section 26(1) of the Act.
The matter has been listed for a filing hearing at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 17 March. Source: WorkSafe media release