WorkSafe’s focus on falls prevention in the construction industry continues to identify employers neglecting their duty to keep workers safe, as we see in another week of prosecution results dominated by construction companies who have placed workers at risk of serious injury or death.
Initial Homes Victoria Pty Ltd – a licensed building company who in Sept 2023 exposed workers (including an apprentice and a sub-contractor) to the risk of a fall from heights when assigning them to work higher than 3m with no guard railing and no stair void protection. Initial Homes Victoria were the principal contractor and was responsible for installing fall protection.
Three years earlier the company had received an improvement notice for placing three workers at the same risk.
Initial Homes Victoria was fined $8,000 without conviction. On appeal by the Director of Public Prosecutions the company was re-sentenced to a fine of $12,000 without conviction.
LBR Frames Pty Ltd – a construction company who was engaged by Initial Homes Victoria to complete framing works on a residential build. In Sept 2023 as well as working at heights without fall protection, LBR Frames also failed to produce a Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) for the work they were undertaking at height.
On two separate occasions three years earlier, WorkSafe inspectors visiting LBR Frame worksites had detected working at heights failures – two improvement notices had been issued.
LBR Frames was fined $8,000 without conviction. On appeal by the Director of Public Prosecutions the company was re-sentenced to a fine of $12,000 without conviction.
Stelatel Communications Pty Ltd - a company that specialises in coordinating essential utility connections placed two workers (including an apprentice) at risk of falling from heights when working in a roof space without having prepared or reviewed a SWMS for the work. The apprentice fell through the plasterboard ceiling, falling almost 4m to the floor – he was knocked unconscious and sustained rib and back pain.
Stelatel Communications was fined $7,500 without conviction.
Read more: Prosecution Result Summaries and Enforceable Undertakings | WorkSafe Victoria