COMPANY CHARGED AFTER CRANE COLLAPSE ENDANGERS LIVES

WorkSafe has filed charges against a crane company following an incident where workers were exposed to the risk of serious injury or death at a construction site in Parkville in July 2021.

Sergi Australia Pty Ltd is facing two charges under section 26(1) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. The charges stem from the company's alleged failure to ensure the safety of a workplace under its management and control, to the extent that it was reasonably practicable, and free from health risks.

The charges are related to the collapse of a mobile crane supplied by the company. During a lift, the pendant ropes used to manipulate an attached luffing jib failed, leading to the incident. It is alleged that the company neglected to provide pendant ropes in a serviceable condition, replace pendant ropes that were no longer in a serviceable condition, and maintain a system of work in which pendant ropes were periodically inspected by a competent person.

The case is scheduled for a filing hearing at Melbourne Magistrates' Court on July 13, 2023.

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