WorkSafe

A sole trader has been fined $10,000 (and ordered to pay $4000 in costs) for removing asbestos fencing when he did not have an asbestos removal licence.

Justin John Collins pleaded guilty to having carried out work when he was not authorised to carry out that class of work and was fined in the Perth Magistrates Court last Friday.

In April 2022, Mr Collins removed and disposed of 41 metres of asbestos fencing from between two houses in Beckenham after telling the property owners that he was licensed to do so.

Finalists in the prestigious Work Health and Safety Excellence Awards 2024 have been decided, with the winners to be announced at Optus Stadium on October 31.

The judging panel has chosen a record 41 finalists for the five categories of the Awards.

The five Award categories are:

A construction company has been fined a total of $90,000 after a worker suffered serious injuries when he fell through a polycarbonate sheet on a patio roof.

Apollo Construction & Renovation Pty Ltd was charged with failing to ensure the regulator was notified of the incident, failing to ensure the site where the incident occurred was not disturbed and failing to ensure that a safe work method statement was prepared for the work.

Apollo was fined $60,000 on the first two charges and $30,000 on the third in the Perth Magistrates Court on Friday.

Two construction companies have been fined a total of $468,000 (and ordered to pay a total of $36,500 in costs) in relation to separate matters for breaches of workplace health and safety laws.

Merym Pty Ltd (trading as EMCO Building) was found guilty of failing to provide and maintain a safe workplace and, by that failure, causing serious harm and was fined $450,000 (and ordered to pay $35,000 in costs) in the Perth Magistrates Court last week.

The transitional period for compliance with regulations governing falls from height on WA construction sites will be extended following a decision made by Industrial Relations Minister Simone McGurk.

The transitional period will now last until September 30, 2026 and will be followed by a six-month Statement of Regulatory Intent to assist transition to the new laws.

WorkSafe Commissioner Sally North said today the prevention of falls in the construction sector remained a high priority.