WorkSafe

A Perth bricklaying company has been fined $600,000 (and ordered to pay $5000 in costs) after a worker suffered serious injuries when a concrete staircase collapsed on him.

Swinging Bricklayers Pty Ltd was convicted in its absence of failing to provide and maintain a safe work environment and, by that failure, causing serious harm to a worker and was fined in the Perth Magistrates Court last week.

On April 1 2019, four Swinging Bricklayers contractors arrived at the construction site for a secondary school in Alkimos.

A Wangara sheet metal manufacturing business has been fined $300,000 (and ordered to pay more than $6400 in costs) over an incident in which a 17-year-old apprentice had seven fingers severed.

Unique Metal Works Pty Ltd pleaded guilty to failing to provide and maintain a safe work environment, and was fined in the Perth Magistrates Court on Monday. It was not alleged that the company’s failures caused the apprentice’s injury.

The report on the WorkSafe Commissioner’s independent Inquiry into the Agricultural Industry has been released, with most of its recommendations supported and currently under consideration.

The Commissioner has indicated his support for the majority of the recommendations, however two have been noted as they will require further work or consultation if the State Government wishes to progress them.

WorkSafe has commenced prosecution action against a fire assay company after four workers recorded high levels of lead in their blood and one was hospitalised.

Jinning Pty Ltd faces two charges of failing to ensure that biological monitoring was conducted on an employee in a lead-risk job, along with two charges of failing to ensure that counselling and health surveillance were provided to workers in a lead-risk job.

WorkSafe and the Training Accreditation Council Western Australia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) allowing sharing of information about High Risk Work Licence training.

As the industry regulator, it is WorkSafe’s responsibility to ensure that licensed persons are trained to a level that enables them to conduct activities safely. The Training Accreditation Council (TAC) regulates registered training providers that deliver nationally recognised vocational training to domestic students in WA.

A construction company manager has been fined $60,000 (and ordered to pay $45,813.50) in costs) over the fall death of a 17-year-old worker in 2017.

Luke Fraser Corderoy, a manager of Industrial Construction Services Pty Ltd (ICS) was found guilty of failing to provide and maintain a work environment free from hazards and that the incident occurred with his consent or was attributable to his neglect.

A construction company has been fined $600,000 over serious injuries suffered by two workers at a construction site on Rottnest Island.

Firm Construction Pty Ltd pleaded guilty to failing to provide and maintain a safe work environment and, by that failure, causing serious harm to the two workers, and was fined in the Perth Magistrates Court on Monday.

WorkSafe has commenced a proactive inspection program to look at safety issues in WA aged care and residential care facilities.

The inspection program will look at a number of randomly-selected facilities across metropolitan and regional areas of the State throughout the 2023/24 financial year.

Inspectors will place a strong emphasis on industry-specific hazards, along with workplace violence and aggression, staff training and other priority issues identified by WorkSafe.

A fire assay company has been fined a total of $30,000 (and ordered to pay $5647 in costs) after four workers recorded high levels of lead in their blood and one was hospitalised.

Jinning Pty Ltd pleaded guilty under the Occupational Safety and Health Regulations 1996 to two charges of failing to ensure that biological monitoring was conducted on an employee in a lead-risk job, along with two charges of failing to ensure that counselling and health surveillance were provided to workers in a lead-risk job.

A sole trader in the Great Southern has been fined $47,250 (and ordered to pay $4241 in costs) over a fall suffered by a worker that caused serious injuries.

Brett Sidney Cavanagh pleaded guilty to failing to provide and maintain a safe work environment and, by that failure, causing serious harm to an employee and was fined in the Katanning Magistrates Court on Monday.

In August 2020, Mr Cavanagh had been engaged by Kojonup Auto Electrics to install insulation to the underside of a mechanical workshop roof and later to replace skylight panels in the roof with tin panels.