WorkSafe has charged a plumbing contractor with safety breaches after a worker was injured when a two-metre deep trench partially collapsed.
Plumbfirst Employment Pty Ltd faces two charges under section 21(1) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act for failing to provide a working environment that was safe and without risks to health.
WorkSafe alleges that Plumbfirst Employment twice breached section 21(2)(a) of the OHS Act by failing to provide or maintain a safe system of work when it failed to ensure shoring and trench shields that extended above the ground surface were used inside an excavation at a residential property at Mount Waverley in August 2024.
Employers have a duty to maintain a safe workplace and an easy way to do so is to follow the advice and guidance of industry experts and regulators. WorkSafe publishes comprehensive and free guidance for employers to safely manage the risks associated with excavations and trenching, including:
- · Trenching safety: Things to know
- · Trenching controls
- · Excavating and trenching
- · Compliance code: Excavation
There is no excuse for employers to expose workers to the risks of serious injury or death when conducting hazardous work such as trenching.
Read more: Plumber charged after trench collapse | WorkSafe Victoria